Soldier's Creed
by Majin Videl
Summary: Gohan-Videl, Goten-Valise. “You're keeping it, aren't you?” “Yes,” Came the reply of the woman leaning on the counter. “I'm keeping him.”
1. War, Hah!

The morning was sunny; a bright vibrant hue of gold covered the morning sky, as the half-blood Saiyan woke. He knew that today was going to be a good day, as it usually was when the sun shone as brightly as it did today. His aqua eyes turned to see his beloved wife was still asleep, and he knew that she didn't have work today, so he allowed her to stay sleeping for the time being. Maybe he could surprise her with breakfast, or just let her continue to sleep.

He quickly dressed in his work clothes, and picked up his glasses gently off the dresser, slipping them over his eyes. He didn't need his glasses to see, or read, but he wore them anyway, much in the same respect as Trunks did at work. Son Gohan had become one of the most successful teachers in Satan City, as he was smarter than most of the other instructors. He knew that today…nothing could ruin his day.

He heard the faint noise of giggling in the bedroom across the hall. Pan was probably awake, playing with her dolls again. She would never admit to the fact that she did play with dolls. He peeked into her room to make sure that she wasn't being eaten alive by Bee, whom they were babysitting for Hurcule. It wasn't as if she couldn't defend herself, but he was normally the first person she called to help, aside from Goku.

As he continued on down the hall, he sighed and resolved himself to get the mail. Gohan hated getting the mail. It was almost always bills, or junk he wasn't interested in. He didn't mind paying bills, its just that most of the time, the money just wasn't there. In today's day and age, with all the fighting going on, there just wasn't any money to earn. It was probably a good thing that Gohan worked for enjoyment, and not money. It was times like these that forced Videl into the working field as a secretary. That meant less time to spend with Pan, whom wasted away her pre-school days with Goku.

Sifting through the mail, and finding nothing of interest, he placed the letters on the table. Across the room was his desk, piled high with books and graded papers. He picked up the papers and put them into a briefcase, then ran a finger down the spines of the books to find the ones he needed for today's lecture. Once he had gotten all of them together, he continued to make breakfast.

"Papa!" Pan shouted from the top of the steps. She was still much too young to get down the steps, so someone had to help her down the steps from time to time. Although she could fly, Videl and Gohan discouraged it when at home. They had learned from Goten that things get broken that way. "Papa, I help?"

"Sure, Princess." He smiled looking up at his little girl. She sure was a near replica of his wife. She would be a strong girl, he could almost tell that now. "We're going to make pancakes today, can you help me?"

"Yup, yup!" Pan announced cheerily. She loved helping her dad, whether it be putting stickers on graded papers, or just cheering him on in sparring matches with Goten. Pan sure loved her father. "I no princess!"

"True," Gohan said carrying her into the kitchen. Sliding his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, he put Pan down on the floor and sighed. "Burra is the princess, isn't she?"

(AN, I know its Bulla/Bra, but I've always written it as Burra. Besides, in Japanese the L's are pronounced like R's. I mean, look at Riza Hawkeye in English, but Lisa in Japanese. Shoo! Keep reading! .)

Pan grabbed a carton of eggs from in the fridge, placing it onto the counter. When she realized that there weren't enough eggs, she frowned. "Papa, we make 'nuff pancakes?"

"We can make enough. I'll just make them smaller than usual." Pan didn't think about the logic behind that statement, which was one of the many things he loved about his daughter. She was just like Videl, cunning, and sly. But at the same time she was lovable, and sweet. "Can you get daddy the milk?"

Pan nodded and dragged a stool over to the fridge. She was a bit short, and couldn't reach the top shelf yet. Sliding the bottle off of the shelf, she grabbed it with both hands and wrapped her arms around it. Hugging the glass bottle, she fumbled her way across the kitchen, placing the bottle on the floor at his feet. "Bah?"

Gohan normally knew that when Pan said "Bah" or "Boll" it meant she wanted a bottle, so he picked up the bottle and poured some into a sippy-cup for her. "There you go. Want to try one of the cakes?" Gohan asked ruffling her hair.

"Huh-uh. They for momma." Pan knew Videl hadn't been feeling well lately, she had the flu. It wasn't often that the father/daughter duo made anything for Videl, not since Gohan had set the house on fire. "No burn this time!"

"No, daddy won't burn the house down this time. Momma was not pleased when that happened." Once he had finished, he placed the pancakes onto a plate and looked to Pan. "You get to bring them to mommy, ok?" Taking Pan under one arm, and holding the tray with the other, he carried them both up the steps. As soon as Pan's feet hit the floor, she began to shout. Placing the tray in her small hands, he smiled as she ran down the hall.

"Momma! Momma wakey wakey!" She peeked into the room, putting the tray onto the nightstand. Videl peered over the blanket to see her young daughter, peering back. "Papa an I made you nom-noms!"

"Nom-Nom's, eh? Did daddy burn the house this time?" Videl chuckled when she saw Gohan leaning in the doorway. It wasn't often that she was blessed with breakfast in bed, so she took it when she got it.

"I'll have you know, I'm an excellent cook! I just get…sidetracked." He narrowed his eyes, staring at his wife belligerently. "I blame you. You're always getting me to think of other things. You know you're more important than food."

"It bears repeating," she smiled at her half-blood husband and picked up the tray, as Gohan placed Pan on the bed beside her. "It's hard to accept that there are things more important to you Saiyajin than food. Did Panny help?" Videl was certain she did, since the cakes were a tad on the crunchy side. Normally that could be attributed to Pan cracking the eggs the wrong way.

"She sure did! And she didn't make a huge mess this time, the kitchen is nearly spotless!" He would never admit to her that the only reason it was spotless was because Bee was hungry and they ran out of dog food.

"Gohan, shouldn't you be getting to work? It's almost seven." His wife was right, it was nearing seven, and class started at eight. It was nearly a half hour drive just to the school. Her question was met with a sigh as he leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips.

"Eww!" Pan shouted as she pushed her father away. "That gross!" She didn't even want to look at her mother, the one she'd trusted not to kiss him back. She was young, but she would understand sooner or later how love worked. Gohan hoped more later than sooner.

"I'll meet you after school today, assuming you still want to pick me up." Gohan muttered with puppy-dog eyes.

"I'll try, it depends on my mood after I finish eating and get a shower." She said in response, cracking a small smile to him.

* * *

After her shower, Videl made sure Pan was changed and ready to go. Pan would be going shopping with her today, since Goku was out training with Goten. Pan had one of the most irritating habits in the grocery store, she would grab anything she thought she liked, and toss it into the basket. When Videl would put it back, she would wail until it was tucked safely into the basket again. There was a theory regarding this.

"Make sure your jacket is nice and tight." She pulled the zipper up, placing Pan into her car seat. "And don't forget to keep your shoes on this time, I bet you won't forget so soon how cold it was when you kicked them off the last time."

"Nuh-uh! Cold, cold." Pan said as she kicked the papers and mail off of the table her carrier was sitting on. Videl picked up the papers and set them over on Gohan's desk, safely out of the way, and the mail got tossed back onto the table behind Pan.

The arrival at the store was one that would never be rivaled by any amusement park or battle. Pan loved the store. "What did daddy say we were out of?" Videl asked her daughter in a quiet tone, so as not to get her too excited.

"Miwk, bwead, and burrnannas." Pan smiled a nearly toothless smile and held up the list. Although none of the three things were on the list, Videl couldn't help but smile at the effort to read. "An cookies!"

"Alright," her mother said taking the list from her small hands. "Let's get us some bread." They didn't need any of the three things that Pan had said, but she would get them to make her feel better, so she didn't get them herself and cause a scene. Videl was almost positive that Pan shopped for her father, and his junk-food love, since most of the things Pan picked up were things she wouldn't touch.

"Momma, we get gwapes, too?" Videl nodded at Pan's question. Normally shopping took two carts, but today she had only gotten one. Money was tight, and she wasn't eating much in the last few weeks, so it wasn't a necessity to get two pantries full of groceries. "An apples?" She was happy to see her child eating healthy, she had to have gotten it from somewhere, and it certainly wasn't Gohan.

"Grapes and Apples." Videl confirmed for the child kicking her feet in the cart. "How about we get us some kind of meat, too? I know you don't like it, but it will help you get big and strong, like daddy." Not that she needed any more help in that department.

"Plah. No meats." Videl puttered over to the meat section anyway, while Pan attempted to poke holes in every single package of beef. "I want bwaiiiinnnnnssss." She said staring at the ground beef. She hated the way meat looked raw, but she would eat it cooked. To her, raw meat was not meat; it was in fact 'brains'. Even if it was steak, it was still 'brains'.

"You have brains," her mother answered as she placed some meat into the cart, continuing down the next aisle. "Pan, where is your shoe?"

"I dunno," She suddenly gave a shocked expression. "Meat eated it!" Videl rolled her eyes and dragged the cart back to the meat section and rifled through the packages.

"Lost her shoe again?" A blue haired woman asked as she peered over at the mother daughter duo. "Seems like every time you come shopping you have to buy her new shoes."

"Bulma, its' crazy. I could sit and knot them until even Gohan can't snap the laces, and she still gets them off." She found the shoe, and pulled it out, trying to get it back onto the kicking feet of Pan. "And then she does this."

"Buwa!" The younger, black haired girl shouted. Walking beside Bulma was a shorter, carbon copy of her. Burra was Pan's best friend, other than Bee. "I go pway?"

"Not tonight, honey, we have to pick daddy up remember?" Pan nodded and frowned to Bra. "How are things with Vegeta?"

"Painful as always," Bulma didn't even look at the meat; she just started tossing it in the cart. Anything but pork, Vegeta would not lower himself to eat swine. "I heard Gohan got another raise."

"He's doing great, but I wish there wasn't such a money crisis right now. Its' so hard to even consider enrolling Pan into preschool." Bulma nodded, indicating that she could continue. "And with everything going on with Chichi, I don't want to bother her with taking care of Pan."

"Its' hard," the blue haired woman agreed. "But you have to find an alternative solution. Trunks works, as does Vegeta."

"Vegeta works?"

"Yes, he manages a dojo near the edge of town. So far no one has joined, out of fear. He's not that intimidating, I'm not sure what everyone's problem is." Bulma placed a hand on Burra's head, smiling to Videl. "Well we have to go. Can't keep the prince waiting, you know."

* * *

It started to rain that evening. Gohan had called Videl and told her not to worry about picking him up, since he had overtime work to do. He would be home for dinner, but it would be later. So Videl decided to just start putting things away without him. Pan tried to help carry groceries in, but her little body wasn't quite enough to drag them all.

"Momma, miwk?" Pan offered her mother the sacrificial bottle of milk, then smiled at the little girl when she put it away. "We put 'way everyfing."

"We sure did, thanks for the help." Pan nodded and skipped off to the living room to play with her dolls. She loved her dolls, Rena and Lulu. Rena was an old worn out stuffed Giraffe, and Lulu was an even worse worn out green dinosaur. Those, combined with her stained green blanket, were the highlights of Pan's toy box.

Videl decided that the groceries were as 'put away' as they would get, and sat at the table with a glass of tea. Maybe it was time to look for another job, since hers wasn't going so well. She picked up the paper and began to read the classifieds when an envelope on the side of the table caught her eye. "Huh? What's this?"

Placing the newspaper on the table, she put the tea to the side and picked up the envelope. The return address in the corner read _Selective Service_. She dropped the letter and stared at it with shaking hands. She knew there was a war going on, but she'd never expected it to come down to a draft. And much to her dismay, Gohan was overqualified for the work they wanted. He would be one of their biggest assets. Hoping that it was a misinformed letter, she tore it up, throwing it away.

* * *

:O I like this one. I'm going to finish it. Its probably only going to be like…8 chapters, but wewt! A story I can work with. =D Let me make a few notes:

1. Bra's name is wrong because I always saw it as "Burra"

2. This is supposed to be more realistic. I'm going to just say that Gohan hasn't trained in a long time, and whatnot. Besides, to keep his identity safe, he can't use his superpower skills. It IS the military after all. :D

3. Pan is not underpowered, she's just a normal girl right now. More on this later.

4. Read and review. I recently posted "Trunks Briefs Guide to Living With Vegeta" like everyone requested (over four years ago) and no one has reviewed it yet. PLEASE review this one or I simply won't continue it.


	2. Just A Dream

AN: Since I only got one review, and I was antsy to post another chapter, I'm dedicating this to Chimney Leaf. At least they had the courtesy to review. Once again, only one is enough to keep me going, I just hate to see all my reviews be the same person. There's over a hundred views on this story (I can tell via the stats page), and only one review still…I'm starting to get really upset with this site…I may not even post at all anymore.

Also, some of you might notice a theme in the chapter names. For those of you that don't catch it, they're the songs that inspired me. If you listen to them, they fit very well to the situation at hand. =) This song is "Just a Dream" by Carrie Underwood

**

Soldier's Creed

I Was Counting On Forever…

Gohan came home late from work on Tuesday; everyone had been asleep by the time he'd gotten there. He decided that tonight would be perfect to do his paperwork, as his grading was put off until last minute that day. Any other time, Pan would be beside him, placing stickers on the graded pages, but tonight she was sleeping. He had a feeling that the young child had gotten sick, but it wasn't something he would worry about, she was strong like her mother.

"I wonder why Videl's been so distant lately…I don't remember saying anything wrong to her." Gohan sighed and stared at the floor for a brief moment, before putting a grade on the paper before him. After three pages of horrible writing, and "ur"s and "u"s, he'd had enough and gave up. He'd do them later when Pan could keep him from killing himself. "Did I say something that upset her? I haven't really been ho-maybe that's it."

"Gohan?" Videl stood atop the steps, wearing one of his old t-shirts. He didn't wear tees anymore, so most of them had been passed to Videl. Actually, she's appropriated them, after he wanted to throw them away. Videl had come downstairs to get some milk for Pan. It was only a matter of time before she awoke. "When did you get home?"

"About an hour ago, why aren't you in bed?" Gohan was concerned for her, she hadn't been feeling well lately, and things just seemed to get worse every day. She was sinking into a depression that even he couldn't pull her out of. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just not really tired. Pan's asleep, but you should go up and say goodnight to her anyway, she waited up until nine for you." Gohan looked shocked, Pan didn't normally stay up until nine, and Videl didn't usually let her. Now he knew something was wrong.

"I was thinking…do you know, how there's a war right now?" He could tell that she'd put a lot of thought into this, she was upset by the thought of a war. He didn't understand why it was a problem; they fought monsters all the time, what made this so different.

"Yes, but it doesn't affect me, so why would it be a problem?"

"If…if those people die…those millions of people out there fighting, they can't be wished back, can they?" Videl thought about this only for a moment before placing her arms over his shoulders.

"No, they can't. Even if we did, it would be hard to explain why people at home got letters of death, and their loved one was suddenly home. Then again, the military is full of errors like that." He put the pencil down, turning to give her a hug. "Since there's no wrong side, and no right side, if we just wish both sides back, it would start a war all over again. At this point there's nothing that can be done."

Videl nodded, tears in her eyes, as she looked to him. "I was just wondering that's all." She said, trying to cover her curiosity with something else.

"Is this because they drafted Goten?" If only he really knew. "Because Goten will be fine out there, I promise you that one."

"Its not-yes, it's about Goten. Poor Valise." They had all grown to love Val, but things just didn't work out like anybody wanted them. Not anymore, in today's day and age. The war wasn't even their war, it was someone else's fight…but that didn't stop it from happening, nor did it stop them from being called.

"Videl, go get some sleep. We can talk about it in the morning. I promise that everything will be ok." Gohan turned off the desk light, deciding to work on the papers later. Right now he was concerned with getting his wife to sleep, before she got even more depressed. "Let's go to bed, ok? I bet you're tired."

"Only a smidgen, I was waiting for you to get home. Pan was so excited; she wanted to tell you about her day with Goku." There seemed to be other news in the family that she was keeping from him, but it wasn't like him to pry. If it got to the point where it was hurting her to know, he would get involved.

"So Pan had a pretty good day?" He asked, taking off his work clothes, and slipping into his sleeping pants. He wasn't the type to bug Videl, not when she was upset like this, and he couldn't read her thoughts like Piccolo could. That was one trick he'd never taught him.

"It was pretty eventful, to say the least. She got to spend most of the day at your mother's, but she got to go to my dad's, too." Videl was curious to know why Gohan seemed so distant, but it wasn't like her to just ask him. "Something wrong?"

"No, I just thought I felt something." Videl blinked, only for a moment. "It's hard to focus on what you're saying if I'm constantly trying to see how sick you are."

"Oh, I…about that." She hadn't gotten the chance to tell him earlier, and she wanted to tell him now, but Pan had woken up and chosen that moment to ask for her bottle.

Gohan offered his wife a small smile. "I can take it to her. She wanted to say goodnight to me anyway." He couldn't help but wonder what Videl wanted to tell him, but it could wait. Their daughter was more important, in his eyes. Once he had gotten her back to sleep, he closed her door and turned on the night-light. Over in his bedroom, Videl was already asleep as well. "Guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out."

**

Wednesday had started off eventfully. It rained like you wouldn't believe, all of the graded papers still hadn't been done, and Videl seemed to be sicker this morning than she normally was. Since the day had just progressively gotten worse, he decided to stay home and take care of Videl. He had accumulated more sick days than he would ever use, so to him it only seemed fair.

"Videl?" Asked Gohan from downstairs. "Where's Pan?"

"Downstairs in your study, playing with her dolls." Videl answered from the top of the steps. She'd been sick since early that morning, and it was hard to even understand why. This was the second month she was sick, and he was praying it was just the flu. "Why?"

"She's been awfully quiet all morning, I was just wondering if she was alright." He stepped into his study, watching Pan. That's when he noticed the papers all over the floor. "Oh no, no, no…Pan!" He didn't get angry with his daughter often, but this seemed like a good occasion.

"Papa?" Big brow eyes looked up at him in confusion, as she dropped the doll.

"My…my textbooks." He knew that she was worth more than any book, but it still upset him. "You know you're not allowed to touch them…for this reason."

"I wanna color. We gots no paper." That's when he noticed what fate the tests had suffered. There were random drawings on all of them, each one of them. Some were donned in green, others clad in orange...it was pure chaos of colors. A war had broken out between two crayons, she had explained to him, and the green put up a good fight, but the orange won. No matter how amusing the situation sounded, he was still angry with her.

"Let's take you into the living room, where you can't bother any of my school work." He picked her up and smiled a little, trying not to get upset with her. She grabbed her crayons and the doll, staring up at her dad as she moved, but her feet didn't. "Please don't do that again. Those papers are very important to me, I need them for work."

Pan nodded and smiled innocently. "Has you seen the kiffen?"

As he went into the kitchen to get some milk for her, he noticed the broken glass first. "No, I have not seen the kitch-" It didn't register like that, however. He'd gotten her bottle, and handed it to her, then turned back and sighed. "Pan! I'm keeping you on a leash from now on!"**

"If you can't baby-sit her, then don't offer." Videl muttered as she helped him clean up the casualties in the study. Any other day Videl kept the child from in the study, but today was not a day that she cared to. "She's a lot to take care of when you're not home, I can barely handle her."

"It makes me wonder how dad does it." He said, dropping a stack of papers on the desk. "I hope I can explain to my students why their papers are destroyed…it's not going to be easy."

"No, but they know you have a little girl, I'm sure they'll understand. Its not like it's the end of the world." She sighed and brushed back a strand of hair. "I thought I told you not to bring your work home anyway?"

"It was a bad habit. Mom told me she would have Pan today. How are you feeling this morning?" His concern for her had grown, since she was paler than usual now. Maybe she was just tired.

"Worse. It will be fine though." She knew it would be, but he didn't. Every time she went to tell him, something came up. It was hard to tell someone something so deep, when someone interrupted.

"Have you seen a doctor yet? It might be a good idea. Just to know." Gohan was distracted now, his green eyes gazing at her.

"What are you staring at like that?" Videl couldn't help but ask, he looked like he was intense in thought. Only, about her. He never got like this about her.

"Your Ki is different."

"Weaker?" She was trying to distract him from what he was about to learn of his own accord. She wanted to be the one to tell him, but at this rate it wouldn't be like that. If only he didn't meddle!

"No, it's…stronger, but…" He looked her in the eyes, and smiled a little. "You've been training again! Its alright, you just overworked yourself a little."

"No, you dolt! I'm pregnant!" She blinked and covered her mouth, but it didn't seem to help the fact that she'd told him…and insulted him at the same time. She couldn't tell if he was upset at the news, or at the fact that she'd insulted him in the process.

"That's…wonderful." He seemed to be as pale as she, but he got suddenly quiet. "I'm shocked you didn't tell me sooner…then again, I should have known myself."

"I tried to tell you three days ago, but you kept getting distracted." She frowned and thought of the letter she'd thrown away. Chichi had asked why Gohan wasn't drafted, and Videl had explained that he was working, so he didn't need to be. Chichi knew better, her luck wasn't that good. She had explained the consequences to Videl, but it seemed she hadn't been listening.

"Videl?" Gohan stared at her, trying to shake her from her thoughts. It seemed like she was upset about something, but he couldn't quite tell what. "If this is about working, I promise I'll be here to help. I know I'm not here a lot with Pan, but I can help now…I swear you'll never have to raise them alone."

"It's…not that," Videl said looking at him curiously. "I just thought about it again, and I was wondering how you'd raise them if you weren't here."

"Why wouldn't I be here? Working isn't a priority right now, I can just…" He could tell it wasn't what she was referring to. Was she implying he was sick?

"You got a letter a week ago." He started to speak, but she cut him off, wanting to tell him. "It's been killing me to know, and I don't want to tell you, but Chichi told me what would happen if you didn't know. The selective service chose your birthday, along with Goten's." She said staring at her hands. "I didn't want you to know, I was hoping I could throw it away and have done with. But your mom told me if you didn't respond, they'd come looking for you…and you'd get arrested."

He stared at her for a moment, only a moment, before growling. "Videl, you know how important these things are. You know as well as anyone that I'm no different. The laws apply to me as well as they do to you. You're not a princess anymore, your father isn't the hero, and you can't keep thinking that you can get away with murder." He couldn't believe he was saying it, but she needed to hear it. "I am not immune to the laws, and they affect me as much as the other person. I can't believe you thought this wasn't something I needed to know!"

She stared at him in silence, trying to think of something to say. "I was greedy. I didn't want you to leave us behind, but when Chichi told me the repercussions, I got scared. I am scared…I wanted you to know, but I didn't know how to say it. I couldn't just show you the letter…"

"That's what you're supposed to do! Show me the letter! How many times have I told you not to get rid of any of my mail? I need to see what it is you're throwing away. What other important letters did you get rid of?" He was angry now, she could tell by the way he was talking.

"I…just that one." She said walking away from him, to avoid further injury. "I'm sorry for thinking your children need you more than I do."

:O Sorry for the cliffhanger, I'm trying not to pack everything in at once, like I usually do. The drama will clear up next chappie, just…not right now lulz. In the next chapter we find out what happens with you dodge the draft. Wewt!

This story is dedicated mostly to my step-dad, whom leaves for Iraq in April. He's my hero, in more ways than one because he's always there when I need someone to talk to. I care about him a lot, and this story is for him.


	3. Call To Arms

Announcement! Caution! There is math involved in this chapter. I did my hardest to explain it in laymen's terms. It's the only thing I remember from Geometry, so please bear with me. I assumed it was a high enough level for Gohan to have teach, so its what I went with. Its been two years since I was in Geometry, so I could very well be wrong when I say it, so unless you know what it is I'm talking about, please don't correct me. =)

Also, I can't find the first set of the Saiyman Saga _anywhere _so please, _please_, bear with my incompetence. Thanks. There are some notes to my reviewers at the bottom of this chapter, instead of doing a separate one for them. Please note that I've done extensive research about this, and one of my beta readers brought up the "Sullivan Act". According to google, and every book I've checked, there is no such thing as the Sullivan Act. The military will generally place family in different units to avoid the death of both at the same time. By law, if you have two sons serving, and one dies, you _may _request for the other one to come home. As far as I've learned there is no such act, and if there was, its long since been abolished.

* * *

**Soldier's Creed**

_Call To Arms_

Mornings dragged on seamlessly into night, keeping everyone on edge. No one wanted the next day to come, they all knew it would be one of the worst days they ever faced. Gohan was prepared, and attempted to prepare his students as well. No student, no matter how smart, was ready for the SAT's. Testing for them was nearly inevitable, since most students at Orange Star were destined for college. Added to that the fact that Gohan's class was closed to just general students, to say the stress levels were high on Friday would be the understatement of the century.

To him it was a good day, a great day even, borderline fantastic. He'd gotten the opportunity to lecture a class, without any interruptions from the PA system. In an hour or so, it would officially be three hours without interruption. Although he knew the silence would end, it was still not unlike him to take advantage of the opportunity.

(An: I have trouble understanding double-negatives, so if that sentence was wrong…please forgive me)

"Class," He said dropping his books down onto the desk and paging through the papers. "I'm very sorry about your essays at the beginning of the week. My daughter got a very…bright idea."

"Professor Son," One of the students from the back of the class shouted, so much for no interruptions. "When will we be getting our essay scores back? I understand we won't be getting the papers back, but when will we be getting back our grades?"

"Ah, Rochelle, probably when I can figure out what was written on them. It may be a few days, of course. Don't expect miracles." He offered a small smile, characteristic of Vegeta, and began writing on the board. "Can anyone explain to me how to formulate a quadratic expression?"

One particular student in the back of the room raised her hand. She seemed oddly familiar to him, but out of two hundred some students he saw on a daily basis, it was hard to tell why. "Sir, I know the answer." The frail girl answered before he could ask. It was only after he heard her speak that he knew who she was.

"Go ahead, Valise." Gohan smiled and handed her the chalk as she walked to the board. Valise turned to the rest of the class only momentarily as she then began to write.

"Ax squared plus bx plus c equals zero." Her voice was near silent, almost inaudible, so Gohan repeated what she said.

"Correct, Valise. Now, can you explain the formula to figure out what the answer would be?" Gohan peered over her shoulder, checking her answer.

"X equals negative b plus or negative the square root of b squared minus 4ac divided by 2a." Valise wasn't a genius, but when it came to Geometry she seemed to have a clear head on her shoulder. She looked at the chalk and began to write out the formula.

"Correct, Valise. Now, can anyone explain why this would be needed in the real world?" Gohan peered out into the class, but didn't see the usual hand up. No one seemed to know the answer to the question posed before them. "Can anyone other than Valise tell me?" The room was still silent, so he turned back to Valise. "Alright, Valise, can you tell me the answer?"

"Yes, Sir, the only time this theory can be applied in real life is to find the answer to a simple question. You have one number, whose sum is ten, but the product is twenty-one. Most people would use this daily, to simply find out what a number would be. Say you have two numbers, thirty, and thirty-seven, but you want to know the number in between. That's where this formula would come in handy, though it seems senseless to do it that way."

"Thank you, Valise!" Gohan was shocked that Goten was dating such a smart girl. What amazed him even more was how well she was taking his absence. It took him time to adjust to the absences as well. A class of seventy-two dropped drastically to a class of thirty-seven since the draft was put in place. It seemed almost unreal to him.

The Saiyajin continued with the class, as he normally would, but the day seemed to drag on from that point. It wasn't as if he didn't notice his brother being gone, it was hard for him to not notice, and it was just that it was hard to accept. He began to understand where Videl was coming from. She wasn't afraid of him fighting, she was afraid of him being gone for so long. It seemed like it was just an initial fear of being alone and pregnant and taking care of Pan-Chan.

The class dragged on progressively, to the point that he'd failed to realize the second bell. If it wasn't for Valise stopping him, he almost would have just continued until the day was over. He slowly put the chalk down, it was almost non-existent now anyway. Turning to Valise, his tormented green eyes focused on her equally tormented brow hues.

"Can I help you with something Valise?" It wasn't like him to be so forward with a student, but he'd assumed she came on a personal matter since she understood the lesson better than anyone else.

"Have you heard from Goten?" It was a general worry, much like Videl's. It almost caught him off guard, he scrambled to think of a logical answer. Preferably one that wouldn't cause the sensitive girl to burst into tears at the thought.

"No, at the moment I haven't. It's only been a week, Valise. Its possible he's still getting himself situated over there." He looked at his watch, more out of reflex than worry. "And if anything happened to him, we would have known by now." He was tempted to add 'nothing will happen because he's an advanced humanoid alien that can take any type of damage' but thought better against it.

"I just worry about him. He was teaching me about life, and its many wonders." She smiled to him, but he didn't smile back. "My parents were a lot like yours. Dad was away a lot, so mom was left raising me. In the end, dad turned out to be cheating on my mother. She did everything she could to keep me from having to know, so I was home schooled nearly all my life. I begged her to let me go to high school, so she did, and that's when I met Goten. He taught me how to play baseball when other kids just laughed."

Gohan smiled to her, for the first time since she started talking to him. It was a small smile; all that he could offer her for now. "I was home schooled as well. The only difference was that I didn't beg my mother to go to high school, she forced me to." He chuckled at the memory, thinking of how his brother reacted that first day, and how afraid he was when his brother left.

"Sheltered or not, Goten is lucky to have you. I don't know how my life would have been if he wasn't around to help me." Valise's brown eyes were watery as she forced herself not to cry at the aspect of him being gone. "Now that he is gone, its hard for me to adjust to normal school life. I used to be so silly when he was around, and now I'm afraid to even open my mouth and speak. Its like he's my words, where I'm the page. I can't do anything without him around."

"I know that feeling as well," he stared at his wedding band, the small insignificant band he'd gotten Videl when they were younger. He'd wanted to get her something brighter to profess his love, but she'd insisted on a simple silver band. And he was in no mood to argue, as the woman always tended to be right in a relationship. "He'll come back to you, Valise. He has unfinished business here that he needs to take care of. And besides, his best friend and girlfriend are here, there's no way he'd ditch that opportunity."

Valise nodded and watched him look at his wedding band. She remembered when she had to hold onto her mother's during the divorce. It wasn't like she was afraid of her parents splitting up; it was the fact that she'd been so young. "It makes me wonder, if things would be different knowing the truth. If he knew how I felt about him, would it have been enough for him to stay?"

"Valise, a draft is a draft, when you get called out, you have to go. No one is immune to authority. That includes me, and you." Gohan knew he had told Videl that same thing the day before, but she didn't want to hear it. He wasn't a hard person to get along with, it was just hard for him to tell people what had happened. "When it comes up, it comes up. Draft dodging is illegal. Luckily you'll never have to worry about it, since you're a female."

Valise was silent for a moment, trying to accept what he had said. "So you're saying that if Goten had stayed, that he would have been arrested?"

"Essentially, yes. The military doesn't take too kindly to draft-dodgers. I, myself, have found that out the hard way. You see, Videl destroyed the letter I was sent from the selective service. When called on it, she tried to use the Sullivan act in her defense."

"Sullivan act?" Valise was confused, she'd heard of such a thing, but she'd always assumed it meant something totally different.

"Yes, the Sullivan act was a fallacy that all of a woman's sons could not be called to war at once. It's been long since proven untrue, as the military has no such act." He looked at his watch again, then back at the young woman before him. "The military will honor the leave of the second son if one should get injured or killed, and they aren't usually in the same unit, but they can both be called to war."

"Wow…so even if you do go overseas with Goten, you might see him?" Valise was curious to know if there was any chance they'd be stationed together.

"That's another common fallacy." Gohan sighed and rubbed his temples, placing his glasses on the desk before him. "The militia has several hundreds of bases at one time; the odds of running into him are improbable. Not so improbable as they are impossible, just unlikely."

"So you mean to say that even if you both got sent out at the same time, and you both had the same unit, that you would most likely never actually see each other?" Valise had gotten confused somewhere in Gohan's statement.

"It's a big place, Valise. The odds of running into Goten are damn near impossible. There are thousands of people over there, probably more than one Son in the unit he's in. It doesn't seem like its possible to run into him." Gohan tried to word it this time in a way she would understand.

"But it is possible?" She was pleading now, hoping he'd say yes.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Valise. Since I'm leaving later than he did, its highly unlikely we'd ever run into each other while we're there." He didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings, but at this point it was all that he could do.

"I see," Her brown eyes closed for a moment, and then she began to cry as she walked silently from class. "I will see you tomorrow, Professor Son."

"You too, Valise," Papers stared defiantly at him from on his desk. They began to bore a hole in his brain as he tried desperately to get his mind off of what he and Valise had discussed. He had also hoped he would run into Goten at some point, to know he was ok, to at least see him. But, it wasn't like their luck.

"Excuse me," there came a booming voice from in the hallway. Gohan peeked up at the person in question, and then smiled a little at the uniform. Gohan knew not to be too cheesy with the military; they didn't take kindly to it. The man in question wore ranks on both of his shoulders, three chevrons and three rockers with a diamond in the middle. The right side of his chest was adorned with what civilians call 'fruit salad'. Thirteen or fourteen odd ribbons were on the man's chest. His nametag read 'Hofstadter'. "Are you Son, Gohan?"

"Yes, Sergeant, I am." Gohan had learned enough from his teaching days that you never referred to a Sergeant as a Sir. Generally they would respond with 'I work for a living' or 'do you see paint on my nails'? "I presume you're the one that the selective service sent to look for me?"

"I'm First Sergeant Alexander Hofstadter; I am here to discuss your lack of departure." The man seemed to be giving him a chance to explain himself. It seemed unlikely that this would happen to any other type of person. "Mrs. Satan sent us a letter explaining her negligence."

"She did?" He was silent a moment as he considered the probability in his head.

"She told us what happened, and as it was not your fault, you may still comply." The man continued to speak in that loud, intimidating voice. At least he wasn't green. "We are still going to request that you be sent out, however we've extended your time an extra three months."

Gohan nodded, trying to wrap his mind around the concept. "Initially, I was afraid I would be arrested. Isn't that what you do to draft-dodgers?"

"Ordinarily we would, however since Mrs. Satan explained her failure to comply with the law, we are offering you a second chance to do so." He smirked a little. "We'd do anything for the world hero's daughter," his smirk faded quickly. "Except let you stay here when there's a war going on."

"Yes, I understand. When will I need to leave?" Gohan was excited to have the time to apologize to his wife for yelling at her, and only hoped she would be as shocked as he was.

"You've got exactly two days to pack your things. Everything else will be sorted out when you get to the base." The man nodded and offered his hand, which Gohan shook firmly, then turned to leave. As he got to the door, he turned and looked at him. "Don't think that because you married the champ's daughter that you can get away with murder. We're watching you."

* * *

I just wanted to answer the reviews in this chapter. It was an idea brought about by Trek1030 (Lolz Gonnart).

To Chimney Leaf: I do try to make most of my ideas original, but its hard to do with so many ideas out there already. This one rattled around in my head for a long time, and it finally came to me that I should write it for DBZ instead of FMA.

Side-note: Where did the idea for your name come from?

To Noryale: Thank you for your concern, I'm not terribly worried for my step-dad, I know all will be well in the end. At least if anything does happen, he did what he wanted to do. He chose this, he accepted the consequences, and he's ready to take what's given to him. I respect that.

To Trek1030: Ok, so, judging by your IGN I can only assume you're a Trekkie lol. But anyway, I should respond to your review. I made a note in the first chapter that this is supposed to be _realistic _and even if Gohan can handle -God knows- everything, its still a fear that everyone has. I haven't gotten to her character development yet, so eventually it will be explained. As well as the last part, I do know about that episode, though I skipped most of the Dragonball episodes. I will also get into that in a few chapters from now. ^-^ See you around, Gonnart. =D

To the General Public: I only expect this to be around eight chapters in all, so don't expect miracles. I am going to try my hardest to keep it up-dated every two days. I know I have a bad habit of dropping story ideas, and getting over dramatic, so please bare with me. I don't intend for this to be like my other failures. And if you get a chance, go look up a chick named Llynya Willows =) IRH is the most reviews I ever got for a story. :O


	4. I'd Come For You

AN: Finding song themes are hard. Lol. I was debating whether I should use "Hero" by Enrique Iglasius as one of them, but I decided against it. "I'd Come for you" by Nickelback is another one I'm looking at. It seems like I can use it for this chapter. ^^

By the way, for those wondering, last chapter was "Call to Arms" by Angels and Airwaves.

_I'd fight for you, I'd lie, it's true. Give my life for you, you know I'd always come for you._

Sidenote: Anything in Italics is a flashback. =)_  
_

**Soldier's Creed**

_I'd Come for You_

Any other day, it would be a good day. Just to see his usual smile, to see him excited and happy to be home. Today was not one of those days. Videl had resolved herself to the fact that Gohan was going to be overseas for sixteen long months, a year and then some. It was an unreal prospect, one that she didn't care to think about. Her daughter needed him, her child needed him…she needed him. She could live her life without him, but she didn't want to, and she'd sworn that their vows said she'd never have to.

"Gohan," Videl asked over the dinner table. Pan had been trying to feed herself, but the attempt was not in vain, as she upended her bowl of rice on the table in front of them. Videl ignored her for the moment, continuing with her previous sentence. "Do you have to leave so soon?"

"Be glad they're not arresting me, Vi." He was grading papers, eating rice at the same time. He knew how much it aggravated her when he did that, perhaps that's why he was doing it. "I'm ready for anything they can throw at me. Its just bullets, it won't kill me."

"No, I suppose not." The young bride gathered the grains of rice and dumped them into the trash, getting Pan another bowl. This time, she decided to help her with it, instead of allow her to ruin her father's work again. "I should know by now about your reckless indifference to human life."

"It's not a god complex," He put his pen down and glared at her. "Videl, I'm not leaving by choice. If you haven't noticed, that letter you destroyed is what's making me go. There is no choice about it. However, given the opportunity, I'd probably take the option."

"You'd rather leave us behind for some petty war you're not even a part of?" Videl was furious. She nearly bent the spoon, that's how hard she was holding onto it. "So you're saying your family means nothing to you?"

"Videl, I've looked at the statistics. If you were to bring our troops home now, at this moment, the war would be dragged onto our soil. How can you even imply that I don't care when I'm trying to prevent you and our children from dying?"

"Hah! Our children have nothing to worry about. As you said before, time and again, bullets can't hurt you." She wasn't sure where her anger was coming from, but it was evident that she wasn't about to listen to him make excuses. To her, this seemed like he was being unfaithful. "Pan is a demi-saiyan, and like you, she can handle anything. This child is a demi-saiyan as well, and is just like Pan. The only one you need to worry about dying is me. Or have you forgotten that I'm not immortal?"

He knew she was a human, he knew she was at risk. He also was aware that she was speaking out of anger and hormones at the moment. "Vi," He didn't want to say what he was about to say. "I know you're mortal, but we're mortal too. It just takes more to do any damage to us. I'm going out there to fight for you…for Valise."

"Valise," Videl hadn't considered the fact that Goten was over there. In fact, she was only considering her own worries. "How is Valise taking this?"

"She's scared." He muttered going back to his papers, only this time, he'd forgotten about his rice. "Much like you are. She doesn't want to accept the initial fear of her loved one being over seas. Even if we are nearly immortal, we still have hearts. You know that."

"I don't want your heart to be blackened by this. It's not even your fault, Gohan. You shouldn't be there. You shouldn't be taken away from us, from your family. We love you, we care about you." Videl tried to drive the point home, but it wasn't working for her as well as it would for Chichi.

"I've seen anger and deceit. I doubt a human battle could affect me much more." He knew that wasn't true, but he didn't want her to get the upper hand on him. He had weaknesses, much like humans did.

"Oh, is that true? Gohan, think of Buu, do you remember what happened, how you reacted, when you found out that innocent people had died?" She was grinning like a bird fed cat now, only satisfied to have trumped him.

His pen snapped in half as he considered what she was saying. "It's not about you. It's not about Pan. It's not even about Valise anymore." He abandon his papers and stood, shoving the chair in. "Its about the fact that innocent people are being called out there, they're _dying _for a cause that they don't _believe in_. Why should I be any different than any of them? Why should I be spared from having to die?"

"Because you're different than them!" She was on her feet as well, anger rising in her voice as she began to wonder why he was so upset. "You don't have a death wish like them!"

"It's a _draft_, Videl! They have families too! They have people the care about, much like you and I do. Valise…poor Valise doesn't even know how to live without Goten, but you're more worried about yourself."

"I'm not thinking of me, Gohan! I'm thinking of our children, who will grow up without a father." She wasn't trying to push him; she knew he was stressed from work, and the thought of Valise panicking over Goten not contacting her. It was a combined effort. "I'm thinking of your son or daughter that may never get to know you. The child that you created, but don't want a part of."

The thought of what she was saying angered him even more. For just a brief moment, his green eyes flashed to a darker shade, a more sinister shade. She hadn't expected it. "What makes you think that I would abandon my children? What makes you so sure that I would let two innocent lives get caught in this crossfire? That's what I'm going out there for. To protect the innocent lives that were already taken." He let out a low growl as he stared indignantly at his wife. "You're just being a greedy little princess."

Videl couldn't believe he'd said that, but it didn't seem like she was talking to her husband anymore, to her it seemed like a darker side she'd never seen before. She'd pushed him to a point that she'd only ever seen once, when he was fighting with Buu. A point she had hoped would never arise in him again, but here she was, staring at the face of danger, with no way to apologize for the damage she'd done. "I'm…not a princess, nor do I want to be treated like one."

"For not wanting to be one, you sure act like one. It's not unlike you to realize someone's weak points and drag them to the surface, is it? After all, it's how you analyze your opponents." Gohan was just getting angrier, and at this point, he was beginning to get her tension mounted as well. "Because all you want in life…is for you to be happy, and no one else, is that it? You're allowed to find happiness, but as soon as it's taken away, no one else is allowed to be happy? Videl, I can't bel—"

"Papa," Pan shouted from her high-chair. It seemed to be enough to snap Gohan from his anger, as Pan was his little angel after all. Seconded only to Videl. "Papa goes?"

"Papa has to leave for a little while," He knelt to Pan's level, trying to figure out how to explain it to the young two year old. "Papa has to be a soldier, and fight for people who have babies just like you." He paused and thought about it. Baby wasn't the right word. "—children, just like you."

"Papa comes home?" Pan was as worried as Videl. In the two years she'd been alive, Pan had really come to love her father, and it was only fair that he'd stay to see her third birthday.

"I'll be back. I promise." Gohan kept his promises, nearly always, when he had the chance. His family came first, but as a soldier…the citizens came first. It was a concept he had to face. "I swear to you, I'll come home and see you go to school, and grow up, and be a woman."

Pan seemed satisfied with his answer, as she began to hum. He picked her up and cradled her softly in his arms. "You'll always be my reason to come home. I promise that I'll never let my princesses down."

He seemed calmer now…more serene, Videl noted. It was almost unbelievable because of how he'd acted only moments before. She gently placed a hand to her stomach and the other behind her back. She wasn't sure how to accept his anger. Would this be a common occurrence now that he'd be seeing death? It wasn't as if he was afraid of death, but he was as human as anyone else. After so much chaos, death, and destruction, he couldn't take it as well as most people.

"I…I'm sorry." Videl's frail voice came to his mind, breaking the silence the room had fallen into after the argument. She seemed like she was in pain, mentally or physically. It was hard to tell with her, she hid it when she had the chance.

"For what," Gohan asked as if nothing had happened. He didn't even realize he blacked out while he was arguing with her. Had he hurt her? "Videl, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing," She said forcing a smile. Her tears were forcing themselves to come, but she refused to let them spill. He was by her side in moments, his hands on her shoulders. "I just…got a little upset at what I said, that's all." She would never tell him the real fact, that he had hurt her. It would just make things worse on them.

"Are you sure that's all? You seem different, like, you're hurting." That's when he had realized what he'd done. It wasn't hard for him to put two and two together when he had been paying attention. "Is it the baby? Is he hurting you?"

"Y-yes, but its nothing, I can handle it." She offered him a smile, a brief one, before cringing. "He's just excited, that's all."

"What do you mean?" Videl removed her hand, and gently placed his in its place. He could feel the faint motions, the kicking, and wriggling. The things he'd missed out on with Pan, and was going to miss out on with his son, too. "Does it hurt?"

"A little," She said smiling as she placed her hands on his shoulders, him dropping to his knees and placing his ear against her swollen tummy. "What are you doing?"

"I want to hear him. They talk you know." She looked at him with a glare, wondering if he'd lost what little sense he had left. "Babies can talk in the womb. Its just giggles and hiccups, but its enough to know they're alive."

"I see…" She let go of his shoulders, and took his hand, pulling him up to her eye level. "Gohan, what did he say to you?"

"He said he wants you to stop worrying, that everything will be ok. He wants you to be strong for him and Pan, because they're going to need you. And he wants you to remember I'll always love you. And if anything bad happens to me, he'll remind you of me." Gohan wasn't sure if she believed him, but he could only hope.

"He said that?" Videl asked, kissing Gohan gently on the lips. He met her kiss with an even hungrier one, almost forcing her against the wall.

"In not so many words," Gohan answered when they pulled away to breathe. "In baby talk he said 'gurgle glop'."

Videl liked seeing him childishly. It was a refreshing change from the constant seriousness he held at work and even more of a contrast from his abusive demeanor earlier. She could get used to this, even though she put on a serious act, she wanted him to be childish, to help her be a friend to their children.

"Videl, you need to be strong. The children need you, more than ever. I swear I'll do whatever it takes to return to you. Even if it means sawing off my foot, I'll find my way back to you. Make sure you always remember that."

"I will. I promise I will." Her thoughts were interrupted when she let out a yawn and smiled a little. "I should be getting to bed…are you coming?"

He nodded, shuffling his papers together and placing them in his study. He looked at the table and shook his head. "You go on up to bed, I need to clean up this mammoth of a mess."

She nodded and smiled, picking up Pan and starting up the steps. "See you in the AM."

"Will you be alright?" Gohan's question shattered her revere as she considered the consequences of answering. She turned and stared at him, wondering what he'd meant. "Will you be alright? You're pale, you're in pain, you're not talking to me like you used to. Will you be alright for tonight?"

"I'll be fine," She said taking Pan into her room. Shortly after putting the young demi-saiyan to sleep, she went to her room and fell asleep.

Lights were on all over the house. Videl had been unable to sleep; she was restless, and wanted to do something. Even though she was four months pregnant, she wanted to find something to do to ease her troubled mind. Her footsteps were soft, but still echoed mercilessly through the hall. She'd awoken to no Gohan, and started to wonder if he'd already left. It wasn't like him to leave without saying goodbye, was it?

She meandered through the house, turning off lights as she went. Why were all the lights on? She blinked when she heard a muffled 'where is it, where is it!' from another room. The woman peeked into the room to see a very panicked Gohan searching through boxes. Whatever it was he was looking for, it was in that room they never used. She leaned in the doorway, placing her hand gently on her stomach as she watched him.

"I can't believe I lost it, she's going to kill me!" Gohan was frantic now, boxes turned upside down, inside out, and things getting carelessly thrown across the room. Whatever he was looking for, it was more important than their memories. "I can't let her see I lost it…she'll never forgive me."

"What did you lose? Maybe I can help you find it." Gohan paled and looked over his shoulder at his wife, allowing a small laugh to escape. His hands buried themselves into the box before him, trying not to let them show. "You said 'I can't let her see I lost it, she'll never forgive me'. What did you lose?"

"My…" He started to think of an excuse, but nothing came to mind. Instead he let out a deep sigh and stared at his wife. "…my wedding band. It's somewhere in the house. I remember I had it on when I was…doing…the…dishes."

"You…dropped it down the drain?" If it was possible, her blue eyes turned a dark shade of black. She was venomous. "Gohan Son! How many times must I tell you to take it off when you do the dishes?"

"I know, I was just so…side tracked. I was trying to get all of my papers together, for you to drop off at the school on Monday, and the rest of my things together…I got so wrapped up, I forgot all about it."

"Well, good luck." She said turning on her heel and going downstairs to get some orange juice. It wasn't like him to be so out of it, something had him distracted. He'd never let her know that it dawned on him that he was leaving his wife and children. It wasn't a reality he'd likely face.

After disassembling the sink, and dumping the u-bend pipe out into a pan, he began to dig through the muck that was water, until he found it. It was tarnished, the lacer well worn off. The words inscribed inside it were barely legible anymore. At one time, when it was brand new, it had read 'through any distance', and hers read 'forever and always'. The jeweler had told them that they could only fit twenty letters on each of them, so they tried to think of something meaningful. He cleaned the ring off with a towel before looking at it again.

"_Gohan, I don't like these, they're too…flashy." Videl pressed her nose against the glass case, staring at the many hundreds of rings. Engagement rings, wedding rings, friendship rings, purity rings, all rings that he was looking at. He wanted the perfect ring for his girlfriend, but it was hard to find one that didn't outshine her beauty. "How about this one?" She pointed to a small set of silver bands, one had a cross on the front, and the other had a heart. They looked like something from an Italian maker._

"_I don't know, they seem a little…plain. Do you like them, Videl?" He watched for a reaction, but didn't get one right away. His hands were folded behind his head, as he walked around letting her make the decisions. She was the woman, and this was her thing. "Videl?"_

"_I like them, in fact the point of a ring isn't to outdo your wife. So I think we should go with this set." She was keen on getting the set she'd pointed out, since she was right about what she said. She didn't want him spending a whole lot on her, since he didn't make much on a professor's salary._

"_Would it be possible to get them engraved?" Gohan asked the man behind the desk. The man nodded and smiled. It was an option most young couples chose, and it only cost twenty dollars extra for each ring. All in all it would run him to about three hundred dollars. The man explained that each ring can have no more than twenty letters, so they had to think carefully. "I'll have to think about that…it's hard to decide. There are so many combinations that sound good."_

"_Through any distance," Videl answered. It was a shock to Gohan that she'd already decided what to write in his. "…Because you're always away from me…fighting your battles somewhere else. I what you to know I love you, no matter where the world takes you."_

"_Wow, Videl…that's deep. I don't think I can match that." He put his finger to his lip, staring at the ceiling defiantly. "Oh, I know…Until the end of time. No matter how many times we get separated, I will love you until the end of time. Oh, but wait, that's twenty one words…how about…Always and Forever…I like it."_

The ring had seen better days, and today was not one of those days. It was six in the morning, and he had yet to sleep. Videl had gone back to sleep a little over an hour ago, and he had to finish packing his things for the trip. He sighed and scratched the back of his head, digging out his old training gi from in the boxes in the back. He'd need it for now, since he didn't want to go looking like the professor. Packing carefully into the bag, he only took what he needed. The very last thing he placed in the bag was a photograph.

"I'll miss this place," he said staring at the empty halls, where his family lay asleep in their rooms. It was hard to believe that today came so suddenly. "Well, I guess it's time to say goodbye."

His feet reluctantly took him upstairs to Pan's room, where he knelt next to the bed and said his goodbye's too her. After tucking her in, and kissing her forehead, he made his way over to Videl's room. She was restless; it was obvious by the way she was thrashing under the covers. He placed his hand to her abdomen to feel the frantic movements of the baby. Using a technique his father had taught him, he used a very small amount of ki to calm the child down. "Be good for daddy," he said before kissing his wife on the lips. "Mommy's going to need you to be good for her; she can't handle you both on her own. I'm going to need you to be strong for her, don't cry a lot."

He knew the baby wouldn't respond, but he was speaking anyway. He was quiet for a moment as he watched his beloved wife sleep. She was calm now, since the baby wasn't keeping her awake. He sighed and brushed back her hair, kissing her again, tenderly on the lips. "Be safe for me, Videl. I'm counting on you to keep our babies safe." He wanted nothing more than to stay with them, but it wasn't an option at this point. "I'd fight for you, I'd lie, its true. Give my life for you, you know I'd always come for you. No matter what gets in my way, as long as there still lights remain, no matter what remember, you know I'll always come for you." He brushed her hair back again and frowned. "Stay safe, my love. I'll come home to you; just tie a yellow ribbon on that old oak tree."

With the last thought, and the last tie to humanity, he turned and picked up the sea-bag, heading out into a world he'd never thought he had to face. Times were darker now, brightened only by the thought of being home again. His wife, his beloved wife, was all he could think about on his way to the base.

* * *

It's a little rushed, and I'm horribly sorry for that. I just want to get to the next chapter. ^^


	5. Keep Holding On

An: Sorry for last chapter being so rushed, I'm going to try and slow this one down, use a little bit more detail and all. I was debating doing this chapter in Videl's pov, and the next one be letters between Gohan and Videl. : ) IDK yet, but I'll come up with something.

PS: I'm terrible with first-person, and pov's, so please just bear with me on this one. If it's anything someone wants to go back and re-write for me, be my guest, just email me first. ^^

AN: I decided to only do the first part in Videl's POV…the rest will be normal. I'm really horrible at this. =(

* * *

_You're not alone, together we stand. I'll be by your side; you know I'll take your hand. When the doors close, and it feels like the end, I'll be by your side we will fight and defend._

I knew something was wrong from the moment I awoke that morning. I could hear my daughter wailing in the next room. Apparently she'd noticed this morning as well, when her father didn't come to make her breakfast. I stared at the clock for a long time before deciding that today was the first day of a new life. Gohan was gone, for the first day of his sixteen month tour, and I could tell this was going to be hard on all three of us. I could feel a faint movement in my tummy and smiled; four of us.

I went through the motions of our daily routine, but it felt like just that, going through the motions. I started to wonder how Chichi felt when Goku was gone for seven years…I feel so greedy, a year and a quarter was nothing compared to the seven year absence of Goku. I slipped into one of Gohan's old shirts, and tried to shimmy my way into a pair of jeans…well, that didn't work. I guess I need to go shopping for more clothes.

I noticed a note on the nightstand, underneath of Gohan's glasses. Why did he leave them behind? Wouldn't he need them? I couldn't remember if he needed them or not. He always wore them, but did he need them? I never thought to ask. I let out a sigh and brushed my hair back into its usual braid, then turned into the hallway. My feet carried me, but the destination was unknown. Today, I had to be strong, for my beloved daughter.

"Panny-Chan," I chimed as I brought the little girl lovingly into my arms. "I know you miss papa. I miss him too, but don't worry; he'll come home to us." I hoped that what I said to her is the truth. I want him home as much as you do, angel.

It felt like she was talking to me. Are you talking to me? Today was not a good day. How would I get through the week, let alone year, without my husband? Pan, you will need to go on the floor for a moment. Morning sickness…ugh, just enough time to race to the bathroom, without making a mess.

I sat on the cold tile, trying to think of what to do. I longed for his embrace, his calming words, and gentle touch. I wanted so badly for him to say 'it will be ok, we'll do this together', but it wasn't going to come. Videl, get a hold of yourself. Your daughter needs you to be strong right now!

Numbly, I made my way back to Pan's room, lifting her off of the ground, and carrying her downstairs. My mind was blank, what would Gohan do right now? I couldn't even begin to wonder what he did for her. I wasn't working, so I didn't need to take her to Goku's. But something came before that, what was it? Think, Videl, think! Food!

"Are you hungry, honey?" I could tell that she was, she made cooing noises at me, trying to formulate words. I'm so out of it, what did she say? "What did you say, baby?"

"Nom-nom's!"

"What kind of nom-nom's?" Gohan knew what all these little words meant, I was always so busy or tired, to know what she was talking about. It was his little way of talking to her. He taught her words like 'nom-nom' for food, and 'baa' for bottle…but I wasn't around enough to learn the secret code. I'll just make her eggs. I numbly put her down on the kitchen floor, giving her a pot and spoon to play with, as I began the process of making eggs. Now, what goes first? I believe the butter…I tossed some butter into the pan.

How many would Gohan make for her? Two, three? No, she's a Saiyan…I'll make six. Something fluttered in my stomach. Ten? Oh, I don't know what to do. I have to feed myself. Videl, you can't starve yourself! Gohan would never forgive you! I chastised myself for my negligence, and stared at the eggs. Pan was still small, so I would need to cut them for her, make them smaller.

Its not like I do this every day…Gohan usually prepared her for the trek to Goku's. This way I could get some extra sleep, as I worked late hours. I closed my eyes, staring at my daughter on the floor. Putting Pan into her high-chair, I grabbed the plate of eggs and put it in front of her. Wait! She can burn herself! Quickly I pulled it away and listened to her high-pitched wail. Oh no, oh no, what do I do?

Put them in the fridge! After putting them in the fridge, I brushed back little Panny's hair. "Its ok, mommy is right here. Don't worry." When I felt they were cool enough for her to eat, I placed them in front of her again. She would throw her spoons; there was no point in giving her one. "Finish all your nom-noms so you can grow big and strong." Why wasn't she eating? What did I do wrong? I stared in silence at her, and then frowned when she threw the dish on the floor. Ok, feeding her was out of the question.

"Let's get you dressed for Grammy's house." I knew she would fuss when I dressed her, Gohan always told me she put up a fight. Just breathe, Videl, its not as bad as he says it is. I had a red jumper in my hand, but she didn't want to sit still so I could put it on her. I tried again, managing to get her hands through the arms, and then put her feet through. "Alright, you're doing well so far."

Once I got her dressed, I got her into the car. It would be a long way between here and the high-school. I couldn't help but wonder, how did he do this? I need the papers first…all the graded papers from last night. Putting those in the backseat, I quickly got his text-books from his desk. Will they need the books? I'll bring them anyway.

* * *

Videl arrived at the school two hours, and three stops later. How did he get there before seven? It was a miracle he even got there at all! All the stops he had her make, it was curious how he made it to work before first bell. It was ten now, she'd checked the clock. "Oh…oh, I'm late!" Quickly pulling into a parking space, she got Pan situated in her stroller, then grabbed the books. There were too many books to grab the papers as well, so she just settled for the books on the first trip.

She hadn't been to the school in five years, a lot had changed. It was bigger; with more rooms…the office was on the second floor now. She couldn't take Pan onto the second floor. Sighing, the young woman tapped on the door to the first class she saw. It was physics, a class she always hated. "Yes, ma'am, may I help you?" A tall elderly woman was asking.

"I-yes, maybe you can. I need to drop off these books and papers for Professor Son, but I can't take my daughter onto the second floor."

The woman nodded and peered through her class. After choosing a student, she turned back to Videl. "I will have Valise help you. She is truly a wonderful student. Come back when you are finished, Miss Paris."

(I don't think her last name was ever mentioned. Soooooo)

"Yes, Ma'am," Valise answered, turning to Pan. She cooed, and awed at the baby, calming her down significantly. "Are you Professor Son's wife?"

"Yes," Videl answered with a small smile. He wasn't kidding when he said he was close to his students. "And this is his daughter, Pan."

"Well, hello Pan." Valise straightened and looked to Videl with a faint glow in her eyes. The usual glow was never gone, but it ebbed to a duller color now that Goten was away. "Would you like me to take the books, or Pan?"

"Books would be nice. I can't carry both of them." Videl had gotten a stern warning from Gohan before he left about making sure she didn't overdo it. She wanted to do everything she could to keep her son alive. "Is that alright with you?"

"No, no, it's fine," Valise took the books from Videl's hands and peeked at the top one. "Elemental Physics?"

"He teaches here, but he's also a scholar. He likes to study a little of everything," Videl smiled at the thought. She couldn't help but laugh at how he was when he studied. "He always wanted to be a scientist, but this was as close as he could get, having children."

"I see." The brunette began up the steps, turning to see Videl in a daze. "What's wrong, Mrs. Son?"

"Uh, Nothing, I was just thinking about how much Pan will have grown by the time he comes home…and his son…his son will already be a year old." Videl fought back tears as she thought of it. Her husband wouldn't get to see the birth of his son, either.

"He'll be home in time, he told me so. Goten is over there, too."

"That's right! You're Goten's girlfriend. Oh, I'm so sorry Valise. I forgot all about it." Videl was nothing but apologetic as she tried to think of ways to say sorry. "How are you holding up?" Videl asked, taking Pan out of the stroller and carrying her up the steps.

"It's a lot better than yesterday…I mean, now I lost my boyfriend, and my favorite teacher, but I'm sure its for the best." She smiled a little as she turned to them. "Besides, Professor Son told me that they would be fine. He would never let anything bad happen to Goten."

"That's good," Videl wasn't worried about Goten. It was greedy of her, but he was the last person on her mind.

Once they got up the steps, Valise turned to her and grinned. "I'll watch Pan, so you can go get the papers."

Videl nodded and headed out to the car. The bell for next class had rung, and people were staring at her as she walked. It was hard not to recognize her. 'That's Mrs. Son' was heard among the students, followed by a 'no, that's Hurcule daughter'. Videl lowered her head in shame. She didn't mind them calling her Mrs. Son, but bringing her father into this was something he didn't deserve.

Videl went back into the building, papers in her hands. She couldn't help but think that somewhere, he was waiting for her. She heard him, speaking, it was a constant thing. Not as if he was speaking mentally to her, no, it was as if he was right in front of her. She turned a corner and heard him again, looked frantically for him. She could have sworn she saw him, but it was just a student. Her mind was playing tricks on her.

"Get these papers to the office, before you kill yourself, Videl." She silently warned herself. She couldn't be in his element, it made her upset. It was as if she was back in school again, and every teacher's voice brought back vivid memories. She couldn't handle it. She closed her eyes and fought back tears. It wasn't a reality she could accept, she couldn't face him being gone. Not now, not when she needed him the most. As she walked up the steps, she turned behind her to see Gohan, and fell. It wasn't him, she was sure of it.

He came closer, offering his hand to her. Was it possible? "Mrs. Son?" The boy asked. It didn't sound like Gohan…was it possible? "Here, let me help you with those." He picked up the scattered papers and smiled to her. "I'll take these to the office for you."

"Th-thank you, Gohan…" She hadn't realized it slipped, not until the boy turned to her. That's when she realized he had blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Uhh, you're welcome, but my name is Todd."

Videl looked embarrassed. Valise had descended down the steps, helping Videl up. She knew what the woman was going through; she'd had the same problem. "Mrs. Son? We should get you to the office."

"Valise…what's wrong with me?" Valise looked at he confused. It was like talking to a child. "Why do I see him everywhere I look? People that aren't him…I think of him…I don't know what to do."

"I had the same problem." The girl admitted to the woman. "Your mind plays tricks on you…it's a form of depression. You'll be fine. I'll help you out with it."

* * *

"Gohan," Videl's voice was quiet, as if she was trying to keep from waking Pan. He knew it too well, she'd awake in the middle of the night to feed Pan, and wake him in the process. Just to make sure he was awake. He smiled and tried his best to ignore her, wanting to play a trick on her. "Yo! Son! Wake up!"

"Uhh?" He opened his eyes, not to Videl, but to a very scraggly looking man. Gohan remembered him from formation…his name was Andrew Morton. "Sorry…I was just thinking of my wife."

"You got that problem too, huh?" Andrew scooted into the seat beside him, folding his arms over his chest. "I left my girlfriend behind. Lovely little thing, too."

"I…was not so lucky," Gohan admitted staring at the man. "I left my daughter and pregnant wife behind. I hope it's a boy."

"You mean you don't know what sex it is?" The man huffed a sigh and smiled to him. "Congratulations either way, I hope it's a boy too."

"I hope she's ok. She's going to have to do a lot now that I'm gone." He only hoped she found his little post-it-notes all over the house. There was a note for each thing. One on the cabinet to remind her to feed herself, one on the TV to tell her what Pan watched, one on the fridge to tell her what Pan ate for breakfast. It was his little way of helping her get through the days without him. "I tried to make it easy on her."

"It's always hard," A man in front of them said. His name was Chris Harvard. Gohan only remembered because of his last name. "This is my second time out here, and it gets better and better each time."

Gohan knew he meant it sarcastically, but he was in too much of a daze to really try and figure it out. "You mean worse?"

"No. I meant better. My wife and I got divorced the first time…in fact, it was finalized the day I came home…no welcome home for me." The plane jerked and fumbled; turbulence. "Man, I hate flying in these big ol' airliners. They seem unhealthy to me."

Gohan worked out all the probabilities in his head of the airplane crashing, and leaving him as the soul survivor. He cared about the other men on the plane, but he wanted any excuse to go home. He stared out the window, his turquoise eyes gazing at the sunset. "I hope its not too hard on her…I had to send her to the school today to drop off my work."

"What do you do, anyway?" Harvard asked from in front of him. "I'm a mechanic."

"I'm a professor of Science." Gohan played with his wedding ring, twisting it around on his finger. He'd made some new friends, but he only hoped Videl would open up and do the same. "I've been teaching for three years…"

"Ouch, a teacher, I hated school. I'm a professional school-skipper." Answered Morton beside him. "Ahh, but really, I'm an insurance salesman. Which reminds me, do either of you want to purchase Volcano insurance?"

Gohan closed his eyes again, trying to think of anything but what the men were talking about. He'd seen worse, this didn't scare him…did it? Videl was human; she would be more at risk being here than he was. He turned to the window, his gaze fixed on the clouds. Would this be as hard as he expected it to be? "Have either of you heard of a Goten Son?"

"Eh? He was in my platoon last cycle." The man in front of them answered. "Why?"

"He's my brother…" Gohan turned to the man and narrowed his eyes. "Is he ok?"

"He got hurt in an explosion near the edge of the city, but I'm sure he'll be ok. That kid looked pretty buff."

Gohan nodded and stared at his ring again. Someone knew Goten, and had ties to him. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. A voice came over the loudspeaker telling them that the plane would be landing in twenty minutes. He closed his eyes and leaned back, prepared for the worse.

**

It wasn't so bad in the 'sandbox' as they called it. The sun was shining, the base seemed to be alive with activity…it wasn't a terrible place at all. Unfortunately he heard that the death-toll was into the thousands now, so there had to be a reason for it. And in a place like this, he doubted it was from paper cuts and cut hands. But why was it so quiet?

"Alright, welcome to Fort McNull." A tall balding man stood before the formation, glaring daggers at each of the men. He reminded Gohan of Piccolo. He ran through a list of information that was critical to each of the men, Gohan's mind was somewhere else.

"_I have to go to conference, will you and my little angel be alright for tonight?" Videl only nodded, staring at her husband over a bowl of strawberries. At least she craved healthy things, and not junk. He was glad for that much in his life. Things with Videl's pregnancy hadn't gone well. She was getting Braxton Hicks, and it was too early. They'd told her to limit herself to walking only to the bathroom, but she rarely listened._

"_I'll be fine, just knock 'em dead. I know you'll do fine." She smiled to her husband, offering him a strawberry. He bit it out of her hand, and munched a bit before swallowing it. "And make sure you take lots of notes…you never know when they'll come in handy."_

"_You bet." He kissed her tenderly on the lips, and then brushed back her hair. "I have my mom on speed-dial 2, and Bulma is on speed-dial 4. There's a note on the counter with the number you can reach me at. If anything happens, I want to know."_

_Videl only nodded, continuing to plow through her strawberries. This week, it was strawberries and blueberries, the week before it was carrots and peas. He could only imagine what it would be next week._

_It seemed like ages since he got to the conference. It had been two days, and he hadn't heard word of Videl's condition. He listened to the lecture, but notes were the last thing on his mind. Sighing, he looked at the paper, and began to focus on the lecture. His phone rang, and he looked at the number. It wasn't one he recognized. He didn't pick up right away._

_Asking to be excused from class, Gohan went into the hall, holding the phone to his ear and listening to the frantic woman on the other line. "G-Gohan, I can't get a hold of your mother, and Bulma is in a meeting…what do I do?"_

"_Vi…Videl? Is it the real thing this time?" He could tell she was having a contraction and couldn't answer him right away. "Remember your breathing, honey."_

"_I AM!" She growled and panted into the phone. "I tried your mother's number…she wasn't home. She went somewhere with Goten. As for Bulma…she's been in a meeting for two hours now! I barely made it to the phone to call you!"_

"_Uh…why didn't you call 911?" He felt stupid for asking, and knew she'd reprimand him later. "Videl?" He wished he could be there, holding her hand, coaching her through it. Time wouldn't permit him to get there, it would take way too long, and by the time he got there, his little girl would be born already. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I can't go…I won't get there in time. You're better off calling for an ambulance."_

"_You promised me you'd be here!" She shouted between breathing and huffing. "You…you promised!"_

"_It would take too long. Videl, you need to call an ambulance, if you wait for me, you'll lose the baby. Please, do this for me…for the baby."_

"_Fine, but don't expect me to be here when you get home!" She yelled before hanging up. _

_He didn't even go back into the room. He leaned against the wall, shaking. It was a scary thought, having to listen, to feel her pain, and not be able to be with her. He could feel it, her pain. He knew the moment she started having contractions that this was the real thing. He couldn't do anything about it._

_He didn't want to go back to the seminar. Instead, he paced the hallways, waiting for someone to update him on her condition. One hour went by, then two. It got to be five hours and he was scared. He needed a distraction, so he went to the library. Five hours wasted doing nothing. He closed his eyes and fell asleep at one of the desks in the library._

_*beep, beep* Gohan looked down to see his phone had a missed call. Was it Videl again? He fumbled with the phone as if it were a bar of soap. Dialing the number, he took a deep breath when he heard the hospital secretary pick up._

"_Satan City Memorial, how may I help you?"_

"_I'm calling about the status of Son, Videl? I'm her husband." Gohan closed his eyes, praying it was alright. He'd never prayed so hard in his life, but today was not a moment he'd let slip away. He heard clicking on the keyboard, then finally a pause._

"_She's delivered a healthy baby girl, mother and daughter are doing fine."_

_He didn't realize he had bee holding his breath until he let it out. "How long ago was she delivered?"_

"_Over two hours ago. The mother is resting. Would you like to come see her?"_

"_I…can't." And for the first time, it dawned on him, that he was not the father he had wanted to be. He was just like his father…making promises he couldn't keep, and being away when his family needed him the most. What had he done?_

"Gohan!" Harvard was yelling at him, but he didn't hear him right away. "Go-HAN!"

"Yes, sir?" He was depressed, the man could tell. Probably thinking about his wife again. "Did I do something wrong, sir?"

"No, Son. Welcome to your new home for the next year."


	6. The Way I Am

**Soldier's Creed  
**_The Way I Am_

Son Chichi was a cook among many other things; she was a believer in love at first sight. She believed that what will be, will be. She is a fighter for the cause, and the cause for the fight. She is a healer to friends, and a soldier to lost souls. She believed that what can be done, will be done, and that her children will always come out on top. But most importantly, Chichi believed in Videl.

Things weren't going too well for her new found friend, and she could tell by looking into her azure eyes that this was a true hypothesis. Through further testing with various catalysts, Chichi came to the conclusion that Videl was in desperate need of a friend. She'd come to find that Videl was taking better care of Pan, since things had changed. Pan was an easy child to take care of, and Videl knew how to take care of her, but she had been so scared that first week that Videl had even forgotten to feed herself. Poor girl.

Chichi was afraid to mention Gohan anymore, every time she did, Videl got that familiar glint of hope in the darkest time, and then it faded like it was never there. She knew she missed her husband, and she wasn't even afraid of him getting hurt. Chichi wasn't afraid of him being hurt either; they knew he would withstand any barrage of bullets; he'd done so many times before. Chichi was still scared after the first time he'd done that; just to test his abilities as a crime fighter. Videl's fear was much more primal than that, much less romantic. She was afraid of going through her pregnancy alone. Videl was human, she had many fears in her mind, and she wasn't like Chichi's children. Videl's fears were much more common, like drowning, or dying of old age. Gohan's were along the lines of earth being destroyed, and his father dying _again_.

Her first thought when she had met Videl was that she would be perfect for Gohan, just for the mere fact that she'd had no fear standing up to the strongest woman he'd ever known. (The only other woman he knew that was strong was Junnichigu, but he wasn't sure if she really counted, since she was previously an android.) The fact was, Videl was human, she always would be human, and there was no changing that, no matter how many wishes Shenron granted. Chichi only wished it wasn't so hard for the girl to accept this.

"You're four months, right?" Chichi disturbed the girls silence; she could tell because Videl shifted uncomfortably, then sighed and looked at her.

"Four months and two weeks," She said with a small smile. It was one of the only things that felt normal since Gohan had left; their unborn child was her constant reminder that he'd be home. Even though Pan meant the world to him, he had sworn to Videl he would not sit this birth out. "I was thinking of naming him Gogeta." She muttered to her mother-in-law, whom stared over a glass at her.

"Oh? That sounds like a wonderful name, a combination of Gohan and Vegeta…but, why Vegeta?" She asked turning red at the thought. Chichi did love her daughter-in-law, but she couldn't understand why she would name a child after Vegeta.

"Actually, the _Go _came from Goku's name, but you're right, it doesn't sound right. But I can't combine Gohan and Goku; it would still be Gohan or Goku. I mean, taking the Go from Gohan and the Ku from Goku, would still make it Goku. It's an interesting dilemma." Videl stared at the cup of tea on the table, but it just stared defiantly back at her. Her reflection was terrible; she looked as if she'd been run over by a steam-roller. What was that, was that a tear?

"I see your point. You could always name him Gochi." It was a lame attempt at humor, but it was just enough to make Videl crack a much needed smile. She really was starting to come around. "Or Godel."

"Sounds too much like _yodel_. I still like Gogeta, but it's not right to name him after someone he won't meet." Videl was staring at the table again, wishing she looked a little better. She wanted her daughter to have a firm support, someone she could trust, but it didn't seem likely, since Videl was going through hell. "So Goten came home, huh?"

"They sent him back because of his injuries. He's healed now, Bulma took care of that, but he's still got the scars. I feel like I lost my baby to a man." Bulma had created a sleep chamber that would heal someone like new in three days time, but she refused to give the secret to the military. Their little town was like Eureka, non-existent to the human eye, but very, very real.

"Mama?" Pan asked, climbing onto both feet and holding onto her mother's knee. "Where papa?"

Videl found the child asking this question more and more often as of late. She seemed to be getting wiser to the absence of her father, since he wasn't home to calm her, or to feed her like he usually did. And, Videl had come to note; he usually fed her chocolate chip pancakes, instead of her usual blueberry. Videl didn't seem to know an answer to that question. "He's away honey," She said ruffling the small girl's hair and lifting her into her lap. "He'll be home in a bit…"

Chichi watched the child and mother bond that she wished she had with her children. She rarely saw Gohan as a child, Goku had spirited him away, and Goten was interested in girls now, so she rarely saw him as well. She put her elbow on the table, flattening her palm in the air, and resting her chin on top of it. It was a sight to see, a mother and child bonding, a rare sight since Gohan had left. It wasn't that Videl didn't have time for her child; it was that she couldn't look at her without thinking of her husband. She didn't neglect her by any means, but she got sidetracked doing Gohan's work.

"Videl, have you ever considered moving in with someone? You're getting big, and it's going to be harder to take care of her by yourself." Chichi knew from experience. Gohan wasn't a big baby, but Goten was, and he was most certainly harder to have. "It's just a suggestion, I've been thinking about it, and you can live with me. Bulma's house isn't too far, so she can help you if you go into labor early."

Videl's head shot up from her child's cheek. "I won't go into labor early. If this baby decides to make an entrance before I'm ready, I'm shoving him back in. I want him in this world as much as anyone else, but right now I can't handle two children."

"Why not consider the option?" Chichi asked, snickering at Videl's remark. Although she knew it wouldn't be possible, it was still a funny thought. Chichi had said the same thing about Goten, and wondered even now how she did it alone.

"I will, and…I don't know, Chichi. Living with you would be great, I mean, real food every day, something to keep my mind occupied, and childcare is an added bonus, but I couldn't do that to you." Videl was being honest. She loved her mother-in-law to the death, but she couldn't take advantage of her hospitality.

"You don't understand, Videl. I want the opportunity to know my grandchildren, and I've had children before, I can help you with anything you need. Gohan asked me in his last letter to make sure you were taken care of, because he knew you were in no state to do it when he left. I'm just adhering to his wishes."

"I…don't know." She put Pan back on the floor, as she ran over to Goten's room to play with him. Goten was her favorite uncle, but Trunks was her most favorite. Trunks was at work though, which left her no option but to play with Goten. She didn't mind, at least she was entertained. "Who will help me get my things here?"

"I will, Videl," Goten announced from the doorway where he grabbed a fumbling Pan. "Just getting used to your sea-legs, youngn'? Pan, lets leave the adults in peace, they're talking about boring adult stuff." Goten mumbled taking the child over to the living room where there were pillows, blankets, and blocks thrown about. They had engaged in a game of _war_,the pillows were used to make the base walls, the blankets made the roof, and the blocks made the ammunition. Gohan and Goten played a similar version when they were younger, but it involved fighting with hands, and sticks, as opposed to pillows.

"Thanks Goten, I'll keep it in mind." She wouldn't need much. Just a crib for Pan, some of her toys, most of her books and clothes, the baby-bath…Videl would need her clothes, her prenatal vitamins, her other 'womanly things', and a few pictures. Pan needed to see her father as much as Videl did, so she'd decided to put a family picture beside the crib so she could see him every night. It seemed Pan caught on quick, as a 'nigh-nigh' was whispered before she'd sleep at night. "Where would I sleep?"

"Goten moved over to Gohan's old room, so you can sleep in Goten's old room." Videl had a puzzled expression. When she'd met Gohan, they had the same room. "I had an extension added to the house, so that I could add a spare bedroom. But that spare soon became Goten's room since it was bigger. Gohan stayed there for a while when you two were fighting."

"So that's where he went for those two weeks while I was at my dads' house." Videl was never sure of where he went, it always changed. "I see…but, will it be big enough for the babies as well?"

"I don't see why not, it fit Goten and Gohan." Chichi hated having to put her in the small room, and it wasn't likely that Goten would move over again. "…Comfortably." She added.

"Mom," Goten piped up from the living room, where Pan was trying to eat his hair. "How about you give her my room? I don't mind moving over to my old room. Pan's a handful; she's going to need a lot of room. Plus with the new baby, Videl's going to need the room." He could tell just by looking at her, that Videl was going to be big.

"Goten, you don't have to do that, I'll be fine in your old room. I just have to see how everything will fit in there. Don't make sacrifices for me." Videl knew he wasn't doing it for her; he was doing it out of respect for his brother, and love for his niece. He knew his brother was suffering while he was over there, and he knew he wanted nothing but the best for his family. "I'll do it without hesitation."

"Thanks Goten. And, I'm sorry about what happened overseas…are you sure you're ok?" Goten merely nodded. He hadn't been hurt, but he'd been hurt _enough_ by the untrained human eye, so it was just enough to send him home. She wished Gohan wasn't so stubborn, or he'd do the same. "Remind me to thank Gohan later, when I write his letter."

"I will, Vi." Dropping to all fours, he propped the little girl on his back, crawling around the room like a pony. Pan grabbed onto his hair for support, kicking her little legs.

"Giddy up!" She yelled kicking her feet excitedly. "Giddy up!"

Videl turned her gaze away from the two children and went back to her 'long talk' with Chichi. Videl's cerulean eyes stared uncertainly at Chichi's dark violet ones. The younger woman's eyes were full of torment, and pain, anguish and hurt. She'd no longer had that bright glow, but more of a dark overture. She was losing herself to a depression deep in her heart, that only one person could cure. "Chichi, do you think Gohan's staying overseas because he hates us?"

"What kind of idea is that? He loves you and the children to death. If he hated you, he would have never gone." Videl tilted her head in a _what _type gaze. "You see, he went over there to defend your freedom, to defend your rights, to keep the war from coming here. If he had stayed here, it would only be a matter of time before you and the children were involved, and face it Videl…you're in no condition to fight. At this point, you probably couldn't even fight a cold."

"Well, that was real nice of you." Videl felt a thump in her tummy, followed by a tiny bump against her spine. The baby was most certainly awake. She flinched at the fact that he was digging into her spinal column, but it didn't bother her much. She knew that he was going to special. Pan did the same thing to her, so it was more like her being used to it by now. She placed a hand on her swollen abdomen, and stretched her fingers to expand the width of her hand. He kicked her hand, bringing a comforting smile to Videl's face. She rarely felt any action from him; he was probably too small still. That was quite alright though, since she was going to love him either way. "Chichi, your grandson is very active. I bet he's going to play baseball like I did."

"He's going to be just like his father," Videl's eyes darkened again at Chichi's comment. She hadn't meant to say it, it just slipped. Her smile faded into a frown, and Chichi looked away from her daughter-in-law. She knew she'd made a mistake. "What I meant was…he's going t—"

"Don't worry about it Chi, he's going to be a fighter like his father. I know he is. The way he's fighting my hand gives me strict reason to believe so. I just hope…he knows his limitations, and when to come home." Videl had just turned twenty-three last year, she'd be twenty-four this year, but she'd seen a lot of pain and suffering. More than anyone her age should ever be subjected to.

"I hope you're right, Videl. We should probably get your things ready to go." Chichi made the comment, but she didn't feel like going through with it. She knew she'd have to, but felt that more comments like that would be coming her way. She didn't want to hurt her daughter; it was the last thing on her mind. In her condition it was a bad idea to even mention it.

"In a moment," Videl said, looking to Chichi. "Come here, I want to show you something."

Chichi merely nodded, pushing in her chair behind her. She stepped to the side of the table, and looked at her daughter, her gaze somber. "Yes?"

"Feel," Videl hated people touching her tummy, but she made exceptions for family. It didn't matter much anyway, people would always touch, which made her nervous. Chichi placed her hand where Videl's had been, and smiled at the very faint movement of the subject. "He's beyond active for only four months old."

"He's going to be something, alright." Chichi stared into the living room at Pan and Goten, how fast they had grown. Pan was still a toddler, but she was almost three, and Goten was on a fast track to nineteen. It was hard to believe. It was true when they said _don't blink_. Suddenly she felt so old.

* * *

"Videl, what exactly are we going to need?" Goten asked staring at the nursery and boxes stacked all around the living room. "I mean, this looks like world war thirteen exploded in here."

"I'm going to need her crib, the white one. There's a black one next to it, but Gohan never assembled it, bring that one with as well. There should be a box under the crib that has clothes in it; I'm going to need that one and the one beside it. One is summer, the other is winter. Umm," She went up the steps and passed two rooms before coming to the nursery. "We'll need her stroller, but that's downstairs. Some simple modifications should make it usable for both of the babies. Lets see…her night light, the one with the unicorn," She said pointing to it. "And I'll go get the baby-bath."

Goten had stacked everything inside of the white crib, just to carry them all downstairs. He'd disassemble it outside, but for now it was easier to carry everything this way. He smiled at his sister, then to Pan as she looked into her now empty nursery. "Mama, where uni go?"

"He'll be back; we're just going on a little trip. Remember the trips we used to take to Grandpa Goku's? That's where we're going now." Pan's eyes lit up as she smiled a wide, toothless smile.

Videl stepped into her bedroom that was once shared with the man she loved. What was she saying, once? She still loved him. She picked up the note he'd left behind and folded it up, putting it in the bottom of her bag. She read it every single day he'd been gone, but the words never changed. The glasses still sat beside the note. She folded them, placing them into a case, then at the bottom of her bag. He would need them when he came home. Next on the dresser was a family photo of him, holding a baby Pan, and Videl leaning on his shoulder behind him. It was their favorite picture, so of course it would go with.

Peering around the room, she wanted to make sure she got everything. Clothes! She would certainly need clothes. Kneeling in front of the dresser, since she couldn't bend over, she began to dig through the mess for clothes that fit her. Sadly, she didn't have anything that fit her. That's when she noticed she was in desperate need of shopping time. Chichi smiled at her from the doorway, watching the once clean room got ransacked as if a burglar was trying to find a rare artifact.

"Chichi!" Videl exclaimed, a face of obvious discomfort gracing her once platonic features. "What do I do? Nothing fits me!"

"That should be obvious," She said with a smile, watching her new found pride of a daughter continue to dig through old garments. Chichi knew the she didn't fit in any of her old clothes, but it was likely Videl might, as she was smaller than she. "We go shopping. You need clothes for your son, do you not?"

"I, well, yes, I do. He can't run around naked until his father gets home, so I suppose I should work on getting him something to wear until then. What did you have in mind, Chi?" Videl watched Chichi calculate some unknown equation in her head. It was obvious that there was a plan formulating in the mind of her mother in law. This could not be the best thing in the world, but it certainly wasn't the worst, either. "Chichi, I am not going shopping with you and Bulma." Videl casually said as if to answer her thoughts. "Nor will I go with Bulma, you and Valise."

"But what about me and your father?" Chichi asked with a grin. Videl was even more turned off by the thought of her father tagging along. "What? No way! He's…old…and weird."

"Videl, might I remind you, you have no money right now." It was true; Videl hadn't paid the bills in quite some time. Her father had taken care of all the bills for her, since she couldn't find the energy to work. "It's either your father, or Bulma."

She sighed and put down the shirt she was holding onto tight-fisted. "Fine, I'll go with Bulma."

"Exciting, I'll call Valise, too!" Chichi was overwhelmed with Joy. She knew Goten wouldn't want to go with, even though he wanted to spend time with Valise since he was home. But he decided he would just take care of Pan while the girls did their thing. Once it had been decided on who would go, Goten wound up getting sucked in anyway by his beloved girlfriend.

* * *

Pan was bundled into the stroller, Goten pushing it from behind, leaning idly on the handle. Valise needed new clothes as well, so it became a sort of…family affair. He didn't want to go, but someone had to watch Pan while they shopped, and Valise wanted Goten's approval before she actually bought anything. She was something alright; her long amber locks were now well passed her mid-back, more towards her thighs now. He loved her hair; it was easy to play with. Her identical amber orbs were also easy to get lost in with his hardly tamed blue eyes. She was his everything, and he was glad he had her.

"Valise, you know I love you, right?" Goten asked, watching his girlfriend twirl around the side-walk, stopping only for a moment to inspect a window of clothes. The clothes looked so much better o the mannequins, according to Goten, which earned a disapproving glare from his beloved. It only took her a fraction of a second to agree that he was right; the clothes in the store were awfully gaudy.

"I know you love me, Goten." She stared behind her, gazing over her shoulder with those scrutinizing brown pools. "And I love you more, but you'll never realize that. Guys are too stubborn to admit that the girl loves them more." Then again, Goten had died for her once before, and she wasn't ready to admit that. She knew he was different, when she'd watched him die, and he came back right before her eyes.

"Well, at least you're willing to accept that. You know I only told you those clothes looked well on the doll was because it's true, they were quite ugly for your taste." He looked down at his niece, who was happily sleeping. "You need high-fashion, but not that high."

"You're right. Let's go to Hal-Mart." She was obviously not kidding, since she'd turned the corner and started across the parking lot. She was a woman on a mission, now prepared to show her boyfriend that she looked good in damn near anything. "Are you coming, Goten? I'm not going to wait for you forever."

"I'm on my way," He stated, closing his mouth to avoid the rain of drool that was about to come on. "Why Hal-Mart?" he asked quickly catching up to her descending figure.

"Because, I can get the same clothes here, for almost half the price." She said staring at the doors, wondering why he had asked. Stepping into the air-conditioned lobby, she gawked at the racks of items, but didn't move for a moment. "Goten, you have your card with you, right?"

"Yes I do," He said, watching her expression with an amused look. His mother had lived here for quite a while, shopping nearly every week. Half price was right, actually it was more than half price, it was almost one fourth of the regular price. His mother could get a weeks' worth of food for almost a hundred dollars, which sure beat the five hundred she spent for a month's worth. And now that he was a former soldier, he got a military discount, as well as disability pay. It was quite the life for the nineteen year old. "Let's go get you something nice."

She nodded and bounced off toward the women's clothing. She was certain that she would find something nice. The first thing she saw, she'd fallen in love with. It was a Twinklebell shirt with glittery wings. The fairy was her favorite character on the planet, and she would admit it readily with an open mind. She held it up in front of her, allowing her boyfriend to observe her figure with the shirt in question. "Is there one in blue?" He asked as she sorted through the rack for another one. She plucked a blue one off the rack and held it up next to the pink one. "Pink, for sure."

She continued through the racks of clothes, and then gasped as she ducked behind one. "It's Alice," She said earning a look from Goten that could only be determined one way. His ex girlfriend was present, and he was not happy. Every time he and Alice clashed insults, she would drag Valise into the unnecessary fire. "She's with a girl." Valise whispered.

"Don't worry about it, Val. Lets just keep shopping. She won't say anything about you." And he was right, her comment wasn't about Valise. It was about Pan.

"So you and Valise," Alice said folding her arms. "You'd have sex with her, but not with me." Alice had graduated a year before Goten, so she wasn't in school at all to know Valise was never pregnant. The blonde girl glared daggers at the baby in the stroller, then back at her ex boyfriend.

"I haven't had sex with anyone," He said turning to Valise who was standing behind him defensively. She didn't like confrontation, and he knew it. That's why he allowed her to hide behind him. "For your information, Valise and I are waiting until we're married."

Alice scoffed and knelt to Pan's level. "You're a cute little girl, it's a shame he's your daddy." She said grinning at Pan; a mischievous look crossed her angry features. "I bet she's as weak as you…its too bad she's your daughter. I mean, with Valise as a mother, she must be pretty weak." The woman reached her hand out to Pan, but Pan had other ideas. Chomping on her hand, Alice shrieked, and smacked Pan.

Goten was growing angrier, but knew he couldn't hit a girl. If he did, in public, he would get arrested. Valise wasn't about to do anything either. "Get your hands off my daughter!" Videl growled from behind Alice and her friend.

"Y-your…daughter?" Amber asked, trembling where she stood, staring at the now angry mother.

"Yes, my daughter. Do you have any idea who I am? Or who her father is for that matter?" Videl folded her arms, glaring at the younger girl, staring down her opponent and extorting her weaknesses. "Her grandfather is Hurcule, the world champion. And her other grandfather is Goku, the previous world champion. Her _father _is your _teacher_." Videl put emphasis on the last sentence, hoping to get her point across.

"I…I'm sorry, I didn't know." She looked apologetically at Goten and Valise. The apology was lost on the young couple; they didn't even have the heart to hear her. "I'm sorry for hitting her, but she bit me."

"Within good reason, too," Videl muttered to the girl. "You had no right to insult her father like that, or her uncle for that matter. She may be two years old, but she knows a lot more than you did at that age." She was right, Pan picked up a lot of things quicker, and being as her father was a genius. "Now, you're lucky I can't fight you, since you're too young and I'm too pregnant, but I swear if you ever lay a hand on my child again, or my brother for that matter, you will regret it."

"Y-yes ma'am…" She said before tearing off toward the exit of the store. Goten merely smiled to Videl, glad she showed up when she did.

"Thanks, Vi. You don't know how grateful I am for that interruption." Videl turned to him with a _don't mention it_ look, and continued on her way as if nothing happened.

"Your sister is cool," Valise said, smiling to her boyfriend and kissing him on the cheek. "Do you think that Alice will bother us again anytime soon?"

"I doubt it; I wouldn't want to mess with Videl. She's got quite the temper, even when she's not pregnant. She nearly killed me once, just for saying she looked like a girl in her wedding dress." Pan giggled from in her stroller, the previous fight already gone from her young mind. She loved her mother more than words could say, and her uncle? Well, he was beyond cool in her eyes.

"Goten, your family is strange…but did I ever mention that's why I love them?" Goten nodded and smiled. "Lets look for clothes, I'm getting tired of looking preppy."

Valise wasn't a snob, but her parents dressed her like one. Now that she was eighteen, she was allowed to don whatever outfits she liked. This was her opportunity to be reckless. "See anything you like?"

"Actually," he said, staring at one particular thing, and looking back at her. "I do."

Valise looked at him, then the thing in question and blinked, her eyes growing very wide suddenly. "You don't…Goten Son! We already discussed this, and we agreed to wait!"

"Yeah, but…doing it now wouldn't be a problem, it's not like there'd be a repercussion for it…" He didn't even know how wrong that was. He sighed and looked to Valise. "Let's go try on the shirts you picked out."

Valise nodded; glad he'd forgotten about his former idea. She went into the dressing room, and changed shirts, eyeing herself in the mirror. She didn't like her old clothes, so this was the most positive change she could think of. While she was in the dressing room, Goten went back and bought the item they had argued over.

Valise brushed back her hair, opening the door slowly, and came out to see Goten on one knee, holding up a box. He had horrible, horrible, timing. "Valise," Goten asked, peole crowding around them to see what was happening. "Will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

* * *

I finally hit ten pages. I'm so freaking excited. I'm sorry for making this chapter about Chichi, Goten, and Valise, but I really wanted to explore their character development. Next chapter will have an unexpected visit from none other than Hurcule, as well as a glimpse at the western front. Gohan's not doing too great overseas right now, and things with Goten and Valise only get better. Stay tuned for more coverage from DBZNN!

PS: If you get the chance, go check out the story "Pan and Goken" by OmniSaiyan. The number for the story is 4809005, or you can just find it in my favorite stories. He's a new writer, but he's an awesome one. This story is amazing, just read it and find out for yourself. Also, don't forget to review!


	7. CitizenSoldier

AN: ignore that little ditty in the last chapter about this one. I completely lost my train of thought, and my idea, so I'm just going to continue as if it never happened. Also, my right arrow key is broken, so pardon any mistakes.

* * *

**Soldier's Creed**

_Citizen-Soldier_

The flashing of the cursor blinked on and off on the screen. Microhard Word was open, and Videl was finding it increasingly hard to write anything to her husband. The laptop she had was old, and worn out; missing a few keys, due to a very insistent child. Gohan had allowed her to play with it once, and that had been the end of that little adventure. She wanted to take the time to write him something by hand, but she found months ago that her nerves were shot. It could be whittled down to him being away, the holiday's being so close, the stress at home, or the fact that she was due in a month and he still wasn't home. It was December, and she was due approximately on January 22nd. Videl tried very hard to find the time to write a letter to her beloved husband, but she had heard nothing from him since October 5th, Pan's birthday. He hadn't written the letter then, but it happened to have arrived at the right time. Apparently he'd gotten the deliveries down to a science.

The cursor continued to blink a few times more before the laptop shut down entirely. She couldn't do anything about it right now; that was one of the good things about being married to a genius. He always had things fixed, or running in perfect condition. If only he knew how horrid her condition was at the moment. After going two months without word from him, she decided to just give up with writing letters. She'd written one back, and sent a sonogram this time, but he hadn't taken the time to write a letter to her. Turning on the TV, she stared at the screen in silence, listening to the news reporter drone on about something random. The ticker at the bottom of the screen read that there was an explosion nearby the base in Fort Maria, a mile out from where Gohan was stationed. She knew he would survive, but she still feared for his life. As she read the list of names, for people who had died her breath caught. At the very end of the list was one singular name of importance to her; Chris Harvard.

Harvard was the only person keeping Gohan sane right now; he'd said so many times in his letters. What would he do knowing his best friend died, and he'd survived? Had he done something stupid? She shook her head wildly. _No, he wouldn't do anything like that, not knowing what it would do to his family. He may be senseless sometimes, but he's not stupid._ That still didn't quell her fears.

"Videl, why don't you get some rest? You've got an appointment tomorrow." The black haired copy of Goku stood in the doorway to the living room, staring at her with that quizzical look that was characteristic of the Son's. "I don't want to be a nag, or anything, but I think it's fair."

"It's too late," Videl said as she closed the laptop and set it on the side-table. "He's already awake, so I'll be up for another few hours. Want to join me?"

"Sure," Goten muttered as he sat beside her. He gingerly held a hand out toward her abdomen, but then pulled away quickly. "Do you mind?"

"No, not at all. I did for a while, but he seems to find any type of touch soothing. Mine doesn't do the trick, but your mother has a real knack for calming him down." Videl peered over the edge of the couch to make sure no one was listening before she turned back to Goten. "To be honest, it's very comforting to know he knows his family."

Goten nodded and gently placed a hand on her stomach, feeling the fluttery movements of his nephew. He smiled and moved his hand around, feeling the particular movement in that one location. "I wonder what its like," Goten said as he pulled his hand away. "Having kids, I mean."

"It's an experience all in its own," She said with a nod toward the crib Pan now lay in. "I mean, you have to know what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. Pan doesn't always tell me what she wants…we're still working on that…but she's a very predictable child; much in the same respect as her father. Normally she only cries if she's hungry."

"I see…did you know Valise and I got engaged? It's a long engagement though. I'll probably propose again sometime down the line; the way I did it was quite unconventional and left a lot to be desired." He murmured as he stared at the clock. It was ticking its way to four, very slowly. He knew she'd been up for a while; her eyes were dull and lifeless. "You really worry about him, don't you?"

"I'm human, Goten. I'm always worrying about something. I worry about Pan's lack of an education, I worry about my husband's safety, I worry about the baby…I worry about a lot. I know he won't get hurt, but that doesn't mean he can't." She stared at her folded hands as she listened to the man breathing beside her. "I'm not like you guys. You have fears that are unreal to me, where mine are very real. I don't worry about aliens as much as you do, I worry about death. And with the lifestyle Gohan's lived for all his life, it's hard to forget he's not human."

"I know what you mean…sometimes it's hard for me to remember that Valise is human. I always hug her too much, she says. But Videl, Gohan's very good at protecting himself, you've seen him in action, and I doubt that he would let himself die knowing he has you and two wonderful children to come home to."

"I see what you mean, Goten, but…" She paused, feeling a little uneasy. "Either way, he knows I love him, and my worry is real. I didn't mean to make it evident, I try to hide such things…but I'm very afraid of what happened. His friend died, Goten…what if he tries to do something stupid?"

"Gohan isn't like that, Vi. He would never do something like that, no matter the circumstances. And if it came down to it, he'd fight forever to keep you safe. You're his life, Videl, and without you he's nothing." He smiled a little and looked at her hand, taking it gently into his. "I know my brother's feelings for you, and I know that no matter what would happen to him, his feelings would never change."

"That's satisfying to know, but…Goten, what if he's not here?" She looked very concerned now, her blue eyes focused with worry.

"What do you mean, 'not here'?" Goten looked concerned as well, when he felt the grip on his hand get harder. "Videl, you don't mean…you know…"

"I don't know, he's moving around an awful lot." She blinked and turned to him, afraid of what she was feeling. She knew if anyone, Goten would know what to do.

"Are you sure he's just not excited? Babies do that when they hear something they like. Most of the time it's when they hear a voice they like, or see someone they like; Vi?" Goten held her hand loose, feeling her grip get tighter as she closed her eyes against a wave of fear. He started to count seconds when he noticed he was holding his breath. Why was he excited? This wasn't eve his child! He didn't even love Videl!

"I don't think he's excited…I mean, why would he be? The only thing he has to be excited for isn't here…" Videl stared at the floor, closing her eyes again, as she laid her head back. She thought, for a moment, that someone brushed a hand across her face.

"It's alright, Goten." He looked up when he heard the voice beside him. He noticed who it was, quickly letting go and backing away from her. When he sat in Goten's now vacated seat, he took Videl's hand and held it close, kissing her palm. "I'm sorry I didn't write."

"Who…" She looked at him, her mind full of different things. She couldn't be crazy, even Goten saw him there! She felt him put his hand to her stomach, feeling the movement of his child as he looked to her with a small smile.

"You've been taking good care of him, Vi. I'm proud of you. Even in your sorrow and pain, you still managed to be a great mother. I bet he's about ready to make an entrance, huh?" He could tell she was still in shock by her pale face, and bright blue eyes. "What's wrong, Videl forgot your husband already?"

Throwing her arms around him, she fought back tears, but they fell anyway. It seemed so unreal that he'd be there at the moment she needed him most. The last time, he'd been so far away. She half expected it to be true of this time, as well. Biting back tears, she buried her face against his strong shoulder. "Gohan! I missed you so much! It's been hell without you, are you home to stay?"

"No," He murmured sadly as he held her close, sifting a hand through her hair. "Only for the holidays, but I promise I'll be home very soon. Before you know it, I'll be here to hold the baby, and rock him to sleep with you. He shouldn't be very old by then, should he?"

"Not at all…did you get the picture I sent?" She could tell he had, his face lit up as he pulled out his wallet and showed her the folded picture of their son. She gently traced a finger over the image and smiled. "Isn't he so adorable? I can't wait to see him in person. I've grown so attached to him; I'd be crazy not to love him."

"Videl, you love all your children, I know that. And Pan will always be your little girl." He looked at the floor for a moment, before turning back to him. "So what do you want to name him?"

"Well, I've been thinking about that for quite some time, and I was thinking…maybe…Luke?" Gohan raised a brow at the name, but didn't question it as much as she had expected. "Luke William?"

"Why such a normal name?" Gohan's brow slowly lowered as he waited for her response.

"He deserves one…I don't particularly like all the…odd names in our lives, so I want to name him something somewhat normal. I think we owe it to him."

"Yeah, ok…we owe him that much." He resituated himself so that she was lying with her back on top of his chest, and his arms around her stomach. He was satisfied to feel the movements of their child, to hear her breathing as she drifted to sleep. At that moment, there was nothing that he'd change.

* * *

A week later, Videl was waddling her way around the house looking for Pan's shoes. Gohan had insisted he could find them, but she was just as stubborn as he, and there was no talking her out of it. Finding one shoe under the dresser, he set it on the table, and they both set out to locate the second one. It seemed that somehow, the second one managed to get itself tangled into the house plant. No one asked any questions. After strapping the shoes onto Pan, Videl brushed her hair into a pony tail and put her out in her car seat, following shortly after.

Today was the appointment she'd been waiting all of third trimester for, the one where she'd finally get to show her husband what the child looked like; where he could hear the heartbeat for himself. Although, he could hear the heartbeat already, he decided to humor his wife, and let her take him anyway.

"Vi, you don't look so good, are you sure you don't want to cancel?" Gohan asked as he slipped into to driver's seat. He knew she'd say to go anyway, but he wasn't so sure.

"I would like to; I haven't felt any movement for the last two days, and I'm starting to get concerned. I know it's not healthy for me to feel no movement at all." She placed a hand protectively on her swollen tummy, and then looked at him with a nod. "I want to go, I know he's alright, or you would have made a comment by now…right?"

He didn't want to upset her, so he merely nodded. The baby was fine, but he was afraid that she wasn't. She seemed to lose more weight each day, and it wasn't healthy, even for her. He didn't complain, nor did he say much. She'd just argue with him anyway. Half way to the office, he noticed her shifting uncomfortably.

"Are you alright, Vi?" He asked as he reached his free hand out to take hers. He could feel her grip tightening on his every so often. This concerned him even more. "Vi?"

"I'm fine…just a little, achy, that's all." He could tell she was lying, but she'd keep denying that she was in pain anyway. He sighed and continued, when he heard her yelp. Shaking his head, he pulled over and stared at her cautiously. "Ok, so maybe it's a little more than aches."

"That's what I thought…what do you suppose it is?" He could tell she wasn't answering because she was holding her breath. "Vi, stop avoiding the inevitable, and just tell me already."

"I've been having contractions since last night! There, I said it. It feels good to have it in the open." He already knew, but he wanted to hear it from her. "Gohan?"

"We'll have to get you to the hospital; obviously they're getting worse, and more frequent." Videl just stared at him, wondering where the quirky, concerned husband had been lost to the serious, uptight one. Is this what war did to people?

"Gohan…please just tell me you love me." He turned to her, concern in his eyes as her stared at her hunched form.

"Of course I love you…Videl, why would you ever say that I don't?"

"I thought maybe…you would be upset for me not telling you. You're not yourself, and it's bothering me…what happened to that man you used to be? The one who laughed every time someone said "snail"?"

He chucked a little, but didn't laugh. Coughing, he turned his focus back to the road, before he realized she was crying. "What's wrong?"

"Where did my husband go?" She asked as she held her breath through another contraction. "He was here, not too long ago, and then the next thing I know, he was replaced by this man I've never even met before…"

* * *

TBC =D

This chappie is dedicated to Noryale, because she's the one driving me to update. I really didn't want to continue this one, but I should finish it like I had promised. I have the next chappie planned, but not thought out yet. I will post it ASAP. And to those who don't know…"The Baby" will be introduced next chapter. =D

If I so choose. I might make you guys wait a little longer. MUAHAHAH! No, ok, I'm not that evil. I wish though.

**I WANT TEN REVIEWS OR I'M NOT UPDATING!**


	8. Mama

AN: I'm only updating because Nor pointed out that waiting for 10 reviews is like waiting for paint to dry; it won't happen so quickly. And I really wanted to put this chapter out there since it's my fave so far. And apparently since the Goten/Videl moments were a crowd pleaser, I'll throw a few more in there…and some brotherly love. =D

Thank you, Noryale for all the wonderful ideas, but I can't really go with our preplanned chapter idea; I have a much better idea for it…please don't hate me.

If you guys want to shoot me ideas, my email is insanitygirlkaity (at) hotmail (dot) com., or I'm always on my yahoo, which is omfg_pocky. Wewt!

**Soldier's Creed**

_Mama_

Goten had gotten back to a normal school routine, only to find that it wasn't normal anymore. Three people had commented on his new physic, and two others had badgered him about his engagement with Valise. Apparently, Hurcule hadn't been able to keep his mouth shut. He sat at the long white lunch table, next to Valise, and another student named Nettie. Nettie was an exchange student, but she was nice, so they'd taken her in as a 'new kid'.

The lunch room was quiet today, and it was an uncommon occurrence, which meant someone died, a national crisis, or people waiting for something. Either way, there was some kind of news waiting to be heard. Goten turned behind him, staring at one of the students for a moment. "Kevin, what's going on?"

"What's going on? How can you even ask that? It's your own brother, for God sake!" Kevin shouted, which earned glares from several different people.

"Go-did he get hurt?" Goten was confused, why hadn't Gohan called if something was wrong? He knew that even though he'd be back for a week or so, he had insisted on going back to work, but today he skipped to take Videl to her appointment…was something wrong with the baby? "Kevin, I need you to tell me what you know."

"Kaitlynd's sister is a nurse at the hospital; she said that Gohan came in there earlier with his wife…Vidalia…something like that. Anyway, she said that he wasn't allowed to go in the room, because of some kind of surgery." Kevin turned back to his lunch, looking at the other students around him. Apparently Kevin knew more than anyone else.

"Wait, so you mean to say that _Videl _is having the baby and he didn't call us?" Valise asked from the table, confused. She was a little upset at the ignorance as well. She only looked down when she heard her phone beeping. Flipping the pearly lid open, she looked at the number, then the message following it. _Valise, it's about Videl, Goten's got his phone off. Tell him to meet at the hospital waiting room. _Flipping the phone closed, she turned to Goten and pulled his shirt sleeve, repeating the message.

Grabbing his jacket, Goten looked back at Valise. He didn't drive anymore, she did all the driving. But this time, he was going to be doing the driving. "Valise, this could be dangerous. I know she was fine with Pan, but it seems that there's always some kind of complication." He remembered what his mother had told him about his birth, hoping that Videl didn't have the same fate.

* * *

(An: Never seen a birth in my life; all my family was Cesarean. Uhh…pardon all my mistakes.)

What seemed like hours, turned out to be mere minutes, as Gohan paced the waiting room? He wanted to be with his wife, but at the moment, complications wouldn't allow him to be. Staring at the ceiling tiles, he hoped to Dende that this wasn't a trend. He started to count the floor tiles when he heard his mother beside him with a cup of coffee. Offering him the Styrofoam blessing, she smiled when he took it. "I wouldn't get too worried," Chichi began. "They did the same thing to your father."

"It's not fair. I missed out on Pan's birth, and now I have to miss out on this one, too? Mom, how does this keep happening to me?" He ran a hand through his hair, staring at the floor tiles again. "They told me they had to 'check things' and make sure she was ok…what does that mean?"

Chichi sat beside him and rubbed his back gently. She could understand his fear, it was natural. Setting her cup aside, she listened to him mutter about how he was worthless, and a terrible husband. "You're not a bad person, Gohan. They're just giving her some shots, and getting her ready. They'll let you back in shortly. Things have to be this way, I promise you."

He looked up when he heard a scurry of feet beside him. Pan was scared, crying even. Trunks tried his best to calm the child, but it wasn't working well. Gohan remembered Videl saying in the car that she hadn't had time to explain to Pan what was happening. He could imagine her fear was as bad as his. He wanted to calm her down, but even his voice wasn't enough, so he opted to let Trunks deal with her. He was, after all, her best friend. "Mom…what if she doesn't make it?"

Chichi's eyes widened at the question, but then she smiled a little and pat his shoulder. "She's stronger than you give her credit for; she'll be fine. Gohan, Videl is the strongest woman I know, I'm sure she can handle it. After all, she handled Pan's birth fairly well."

That brought up a scar that he tried hard to nurse under the surface. He told himself he was ok with the fact that he'd missed Pan's birth, but he felt otherwise, and at the moment it was completely evident. Brushing away a few stray tears, he turned to the sliding doors when he heard them open. Walking in was the one person he needed to talk to at the moment; Goten.

* * *

"Is this completely necessary?" Videl asked as she was told to lay on her side so they could inject the epidural. She seemed uncomfortable as they did so, only calmed by the fact that her husband was right outside the doors. After having this done, they told her she could lay on her back again, and the nurse walked by her with a smile. She was confused, her face showed it. "Hello, can I get some answers here?"

"Mrs. Son?" The doctor asked as he towered over her. "I see you're not quite ready to deliver…can I get some information from you?"

She merely nodded slowly as he asked.

"I'm going to ask you a series of yes or no questions, just nod your head in response." He murmured as he began to ask questions. Finally it came to the last one 'would you like us to call your husband', and her answer was a frantic yes.

* * *

Gohan sat in the far corner of the waiting room with his brother, speaking in fast words. It seemed difficult for anyone to understand what he was asking, but Goten could hear him quite well. After a few more inquiries, Goten merely nodded his head and looked across the room at Valise. "It's not like that, Gohan. Valise and I do want children, but with her still in school, we're going to wait at least three years. I won't make the same mistake you did."

That stung, and Goten knew it. Gohan turned away for a moment before looking back to his brother with a frown. "Videl and I weren't ready for Pan…neither of us had established ourselves yet – didn't have jobs…I know you understand the difficulties of having children without a job, and I'm not berating you…I just want you to be careful."

"I am careful, and if it calms you any more, Gohan…Valise and I haven't done anything yet. I respect her, a lot. She's the first girl I ever knew for sure that I wanted to be with." Gohan could tell his brother was being honest, since she was the only girl he dated for his four years of high school. "Valise and I…we can see what this is doing to you. That's why we chose to wait. Gohan, you're the strongest person we know, other than dad…emotionally anyway…and I can understand why you feel the way you do about Videl…just understand that we are here for you."

Gohan nodded and turned to look at Pan, whom was still crying on Trunks' shoulder. He wanted to hold her, but he knew nothing he did would calm her. And unless she heard the words straight from Videl's mouth, he could understand why she felt that way. "I feel so sick, I want to help Pan, but there's nothing I can do. No matter what I say, I can't reassure her…not when I'm not even sure about the outcome."

"Just be ready. For anything that happens, be ready." Goten folded his legs Indian style, and stared in the direction his brother was looking in. "They're both strong, I'm sure they can handle it. Pan may take a little longer to adjust to the situation, but I'm sure she will…she's strong."

"Goten, you have no idea how much you've helped us in the past few months." Goten turned away, wondering where he was going with this. Gohan continued to speak, ignoring his brother's avoidance. "Videl was in a lot of pain, with me being gone, you were the only person who could talk sense into her. You saved both of us that way, you know that? And not to mention that you were here with Panny the whole time…we owe you."

"I didn't do it so you could owe me a favor. I did it because she's the sister we never had. I love her like a sister…and I couldn't stand to see her moping over you. She's got a child who needed her…I gave her time to heal, but then Pan came first. Poor Pan has been neglected this entire time, in her frantic worry for your son. It's not right; someone had to be here for her."

That part Gohan didn't know about. He tried to hide the fact that he hated what she'd done to their daughter, but he stared at Pan quietly, motionlessly, as he thought of something to say. "I didn't know that. I don't know why she'd even do something like that; she loves her daughter more than any words in the human language. I don't understand why she would—"

Goten cut him off, forcing him to look away from Pan. "She wanted you to stay." His answer was quite simple, forcing feelings of anger that Gohan had never really felt before. Was it anger? Or was it sorrow? "She told me three weeks ago that she though you would stay if there were complications. She wasn't stupid, not like Marron, who constantly did drugs. She saw the whole thing through, trying her hardest to be a mother to both of them, and do what needed to be done. Videl wanted you to be here, she wanted you to stay. She purposely neglected Pan the last three weeks because she wanted you to talk to her."

"That's not right! I couldn't be here for her, and Pan needed her mother…why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Gohan stared at the floor tiles again, his eyes fading from the usual onyx to the dark green. He wasn't angry with his wife, angrier with his brother. "Goten…do you think this would have been different if I hadn't left?"

"I'm sure it would have…Videl's been in a constant state of depression, even with you home. It's hard to explain, but at one time she did try to kill the child. Not intentionally, but…Gohan, she's been heartbroken without you here…with you gone."

Goten's words seemed to cue something in his brother's mind, his onyx eyes slowly caught Goten's and lingered for a moment, looking for a reason. "What do you mean, with me gone?"

"To her, you never even came home." Goten saw the depression rise in his brother's eyes, so he decided to elaborate. "You've changed since you left…she misses the fun loving man she married, not the all-seriousness one you've become. Gohan, you don't have to worry about her getting blown up at home…this is a fairly quiet town, nothing can happen like that…you can stop being a hero for one day. Just one day to reassure her that you're still who you were when you left."

Gohan nodded as he saw a nurse speaking to the doctor. He looked back to Goten, giving him a hug. "Thank you, for explaining all of this to me." When he heard the nurse call his name, he looked to his daughter and kissed her forehead, hoping this would all be over, as he went into the room his wife was in.

* * *

Videl panicked when she felt another jolt of pain hit her, her frail hand reaching for the side of the bed. She hadn't been in this much pain even when Pan was born; she closed her eyes tight and prayed it would all be over. She could hear a nurse chide her about 'remembering her breathing', and Videl considered for a brief moment giving the nurse something to remember. She could hear her husband's deep, reassuring words to Pan out in the hall, and only hoped they could calm the child down. Nothing seemed to work.

"Mrs. Son," The nurse said as she hovered over her again. "Your husband will be in very shortly…are you ready?"

_Am I ready…_Videl growled mentally as she glowered at the nurse. _It's not like I have a choice! _In all honesty, she didn't want to have the baby. She wanted to keep him a part of her forever…she couldn't stand to let go of him.

"Videl," Gohan said as he joined ranks by her side, caressing her white knuckles. "Just let it go, breathe, honey." He looked like he'd seen hell, worn and depressed as she. Things never really seemed to be fixed between them.

"I am remembering my breathing, stop telling me to—" She felt anther jolt through her frail body as she bit back the implementing tears. It seemed inevitable that she'd cry eventually, but for now it was something she had to hide.

"You're doing fine, Mrs. Son." The nurse chimed from the foot of the bed, looking above the sheet at the two of them. "You're still not quite ready to start the work, so we'll have to wait a while more."

Videl looked up to her husband, noting absently that he had lost his glasses somewhere. Pan probably had them again, but she didn't mind, she loved him the most without them. "How much longer?" She asked without much thought. Pan hadn't been nearly this hard.

"That depends on you…please don't force it, you'll injure yourself doing that." Gohan gently kissed Videl's forehead, watching the nurse hover around the room. He couldn't stand to see his wife so ghostly pale, the fact that she barely had time to breathe between contractions. It was agonizing him to watch her suffer.

"Don't worry, Gohan." Videl murmured from beside him. "It hurt more when you weren't here." She didn't mean for it to be a snide remark, but because of her current state, it seemed that way.

"Yeah, ok…" He quietly looked to her again, wondering what she was thinking. They had a bond, he could if he wanted to, but he decided to leave it alone. It was safer for them this way. "…you'll have a little boy soon, aren't you so excited?"

"Not really," Videl whispered with a hint of disappointment. "I mean, you won't be here to help me…and Pan…I owe her so much. She's been wonderful since you left, but I've been avoiding her…"

Gohan nodded and smiled, kissing her forehead as the nurse and the doctor came back to check her progress. "Alright, Mrs. Son, are we ready to start this?"

"You asked me that three times now," She hissed when she felt her husband tighten his grip on her hand. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself and nodded. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Well it seems to me like you're ready as well." Videl never understood the semantics of childbirth, but she had assumed it had something to do with sizes? "I'll coach you along; you won't have to worry about much."

Videl nodded, staring at the sheets before her, almost regretting that she wouldn't have that familiar heat in her abdomen anymore. She knew things would only get worse, but this was neither the time nor place to dwell on that. Hearing the doctor tell her to push, she did, gritting her teeth in pain. _Why is it taking so long? It was never this hard for Panny…_

"Videl, remember to breathe, I know you hate it when people say that, but you have to remember." She didn't mind it so much coming from Gohan, it was when the nurses were yelling at her about it. He felt her grip on his hand, but he didn't even wince.

_I don't understand, he should be here by now…did I do something wrong? _She began to close her eyes, thinking she may get a moment of rest, but it never worked that way. After the second push, she leaned back again for a mere moment. _Maybe I should have listened when they said to breathe…_she mentally chastised herself.

"Mrs. Son, you're doing wonderful so far," She barely registered the nurse talking to the doctor in frantic whispers; she had assumed if there was a true problem, Gohan would have told her by now. "Go get Nurse June ready, just in case."

That's when she couldn't avoid it anymore, and began to cry. She had a feeling they were talking about if the baby was stillborn. It was a fear she had since the beginning. She turned to Gohan, but he didn't say anything to reassure her. He just stood still, staring ahead of him in silence. No words, no squeezing her hand, no nothing. He heard better than she did, was it possible he heard what the nurse had said? _Why are they keeping secrets from me?!_

"Mrs. Son, you're almost done, I'd say about three more should do it." _You said three more over an hour ago! What do you mean three more??? _She nodded, leaning forward as she gave him another. Something about it this time felt harder, like he didn't want to leave her either. "One more," she couldn't hear crying, or even any type of reassurance. Pan cried, she wailed…but he was silent. _Oh Dende, is my baby dead?_

* * *

Valise looked to Goten with a very quiet look. Goten seemed dazed, as if he had heard or seen something he shouldn't have. "Goten," She placed a hand on his shoulder gently, realizing why he'd had that look in the first place. One moment he was happy gabbing away with Trunks, and then…he was changed. She knew he had a 'special ability', Gohan had told her once. Was this a problem? Valise noticed that he twitched away from her touch, and she began to cry knowing the situation. "The baby died, didn't it?"

Goten turned to her, his eyes very serious. "Valise, I know you cared just as much as Videl did, but some things just happen for a reason. You can't prevent everything."

"No…Videl, what about her?" Valise didn't turn away from him; she wanted to hear what he was going to say. "She's fine…until she finds out. Valise, stay calm, promise me."

"It isn't fair! Videl was healthy, her baby was healthy, and she did everything she was told, what could have _possibly _gone wrong?" Goten didn't answer her, he looked up when he heard Gohan step through the door, and stare at the floor. He wasn't taking it well either. Chichi ran over, clinging to his arm with a smile. She seemed oblivious to the situation.

"How is he? Does he look like you? Gohan?" She noticed him slump into a chair an lurch forward, putting his head in his hands as he cried. "Oh Dende…" She murmured as she fell into the seat beside him. "Gohan, I'm so sorry…"

"Mother." He didn't want to ask her, but he did anyway. "Is this my fault?"

"It's nobody's fault, Gohan…don't blame yourself. Please don't do this to yourself. Videl is going to need you to be strong for her; you have to be tough for her." Gohan didn't move, didn't breath. He couldn't open his eyes.

"I asked to see him…he was beautiful. He didn't open his eyes, but I had a feeling they were crystal blue, just like hers…he was so tiny though….almost too tiny…it was as if I could see right through him. He…he was stillborn, he died over a month ago, the doctor said. Apparently she hadn't realized that, she was so worried about everything else…"

* * *

Videl barely noticed the frantic movements around her. They'd thrown Gohan out, which made her nervous. Had something happened to her? She could barely even breathe, but she made the effort. "Is…my baby ok?"

She saw a sympathetic nurse look at her and frown. She gently took Videl's hand, closing her eyes for a moment. "Your son died; I'm terribly sorry."

Videl's breath caught. _No! He was fine, I felt him moving…what happened? He can't be dead…I never wished for this; Dende! What did you do? No…what did I do? _Her guilt caught up to her, and she began to wonder if she was the one who caused this. Before she could ask, another spasm rocked through her body. _What the…?_

Videl held her breath, wondering if she was losing her mind. Had she just gotten another contraction? She gripped the sides of the bed as hard as she could, bracing herself for another one. She had to be losing her mind; they told her she was finished! Wiping away her tears, she called a nurse over, but she didn't come. The doctor stared at Videl, looking at the chart again at the foot of her bed. Something about the ultrasound had seemed a little off.

"Mrs. Son!" He was glad that the nurses hadn't gotten her cleaned up yet at least. Videl bit her lip, closing her eyes tightly through another spasm. Where was Gohan? She needed him right now, but he'd left… "Apparently you've got twins."

"You said I was finished!" She shouted over her tears. The doctor made a small nod and smiled to her. "It's an easy mistake; our equipment doesn't always pick up the third heartbeat."

Videl went through another series of pushing, this time without the help of her husband coaching her. The doctor told her to give him one more, hard push, and she tried her best. Bracing herself, she closed her eyes tight, grimacing when she didn't hear any words from the doctor. Then she heard it; the small, shrill cry. She looked up, seeing the nurse cleaning the wailing child, and knew that someone had been listening that day.

"What happened?" She asked breathlessly, her words broken up. The doctor looked up from removing the placenta and smiled to her.

"Occasionally our equipment malfunctions, and we don't see the twin. Or, one is on top of the other. Apparently in your case, when the first one died, our monitor picked up the heartbeat of the second. This would also explain why you felt movement after the first died." The doctor seemed so sure, had she not seen the child come, she would have never believed it herself.

* * *

"Mr. Son?" The doctor asked, staring at him from the doorway.

(We're going to call him Miller)

"Y…yes?" He asked looking at the man's bloody gloves. _Did something happen to Videl, too? Oh Dende…I'd die if she died…_ "What is it?"

He motioned for him to come to the door, allowing him to go inside before him. When Gohan saw his wife holding the small child to her breast, he began to shake with tears. "I thought…I thought he died?"

Videl looked up at him, a smile across her face as she wiped her own tears away. "He did…you would have had two sons today. If…Luke hadn't died." _Luke? She named him Luke? I suppose it's fair. _"Luke, Lucky is a girl's name, and it sounded odd for a son of yours…it seems…he wasn't so lucky after all."

Gohan stepped over to Videl, smiling down to her and the baby. She looked so happy, so maternal, holding onto his son. He couldn't help but wonder if she felt the same way he did. He put his hand on the child's cheek and for the first time, he began to cry tears of joy, and not sorrow.

"Well…you've got a son," Videl finally said as she offered the small bundle to him. He was very small; his black hair was short and curly. His eyes still hadn't opened yet, but it took Pan a week. "What do you want to name him?"

"I…haven't thought about names," He said as he looked down to the precious little boy; his little boy. "How about we call him Goku?"

"How about not?" Videl said as she grinned and looked at the window. She noticed Trunks walking by every now and then with Pan, and she looked to Gohan. "Pan should meet her brother. Why not take him to see her?"

Gohan nodded and looked at the small bundle again; it writhed against his hands, making him smile even more. He was so unused to the movement, now that Pan was over two years old. Taking a deep breath, he walked out the door, back first.

* * *

"Do you think he's ok?" Valise asked to Chichi. Chichi nodded and looked over at Bulma, whom had gotten to hold Pan now, while Trunks went to get food. He was back almost as soon as he'd left, but she still hated being with Bulma and not Trunks. Valise noticed the movement first.

"I don't want you all to crowd around him yet," Gohan said looking down at the child whom raised a fist every so often. "I want Pan to meet him first, so she can come to terms with everything. Trunks?"

Trunks nodded and held Pan up to him as she looked down at her brother. She went to hit him, but was stopped by Trunks' firm hand. "We don't hit, Panny-Chan. That's for outside." Pan nodded and leaned over, giving her brother a kiss on the forehead, looking to her dad again.

"Papa…baby?" Gohan nodded at her question, smiling brightly for the first time since he'd been home. "This is your baby brother…he's the reason why your mother was rushed off so fast. I'm so sorry we didn't tell you sooner, but he was a very eager child."

Pan merely nodded, letting him hold onto her hand. He was small compared to her, but it didn't bother her. She looked at her father again. "Big?"

"Yes," Gohan answered. "He will be big soon…but he's only an hour old, so it will take a long time." He felt a woman staring at him and he smiled to his mother. "Mom…of course I wouldn't deny you the opportunity to see your grandson."

Chichi shrieked with joy as she hopped to her feet, and he handed the bundle to him. Her blue eyes looked down to the small boy adoringly as she smiled. "I thought he died?"

"Interestingly enough; Videl had twins…the twin died. Paternal," he said as he looked at her. "Not identical."

Chichi nodded and held the small child closer, looking to Goten as she held the child to his level. Goten's eyes turned to Valise, knowing what she was thinking, as she turned back to his nephew. "He looks just like you…"

"Well, you were a copy of dad…and Pan looks just like Videl, its only fair I get a child that looks like me," He said with a small chuckle. "Goten, when they get Videl in a room, she said she wants to see you first, alright?"

Goten nodded and lay his head on Valise's shoulder. "Don't get any ideas, Val. We're too young." He could feel Valise shrink away from him, and he knew he'd figured out what she was thinking. She chuckled none the less.

* * *

"Videl, congratulations," Videl looked up as she heard the familiar voice. She couldn't tell who it was, but she knew she'd heard it before. "For the baby, I mean."

"G-Goku?" She asked as the figure slowly formed in the room across the bed from her. He scratched the back of his head with a nod.

"I actually came to apologize to you for your loss…but then Dende told me you had twins and I thought I should come and check up on things. How is Gohan?"

"He's doing wonderful. He's on top of the world right now. He got his little boy after all…but we still haven't thought of a name…" Goku nodded, dropping into the serious demeanor he only got in battle. "Stop that, it hurts to laugh."

"Well did you ever think of naming him Goku? Or…Hogu? How about Tofu? Gokule?" He noticed her laughing at his suggestions and he stopped, paused, and thought about it. "Did you have any ideas in mind? Are you naming him after someone?"

Videl thought about it only for a minute as she smiled wide. "Yes," She muttered as she looked at her husband through Goku's ghost form. "Goku."

"What was that, Videl?" Gohan asked as he handed the baby back to her. His father's ghost hovered next to the bed, looking down at the child, his smile bright. "I think Goku fits him."

"Goku…man, what a small baby, I hope he grows into that head of his." Gohan's head shot up when he heard his father's voice. He looked for the source, but couldn't find it. "Oh, I came by to say congratulations," Goku murmured as he faded away again. "I love my namesake; I hope he makes you proud."

"Goku," Gohan nodded as he kissed Videl's forehead. He could tell she was tired. "Get some rest…I'll put Goku in the bassinet. Videl?"

"Hmm?" She asked looking up to him with a smile. She could tell he was elated to have his son in his arms finally.

"I love you." He whispered as she drifted to sleep, leaving him alone with his thoughts, and his newborn son. He hadn't thought of how difficult this would be. Pan was a handful on her own, but now he had a son to worry about. _Thank you, Dende. _He whispered in his mind before looking to his son. _You made us all very happy today. Somehow, being at war…makes this feel right. Thank you for that last minute miracle._ Gohan knew this was Dende's doings, since when he'd first seen Videl, he didn't feel a second heartbeat, only the one. There were some perks to having friendship with the earth guardian.

"_No problem, Gohan…you deserved it. Actually, you can thank your father."_

"Thank my father?"

"_Yes, your father was the one who asked Yemma if it was allowed. He knew it would upset you to no end if you lost your only son today. Yemma said 'for Goku? I'd do anything' and that was that."_

"Oh…tell them I said thank you…he's so…precious."

"_I thought you'd say that…we swooned over him also. But his beauty is rivaled only by Pan, of course."_

"True, true…but he is a blessing…and I owe you guys for giving him to us."

"_You owe us nothing, you're a protector of earth…we'd do anything for you guys. Just raise him right; teach him the fundamentals…teach him how to fight for us. We're going to need another earth protector without Goku around."_

"True enough…alright; I can make that promise…but don't scare us like that again."

* * *

I decided to name him Goku…and it is explained above. =) Sorry for the length, this is actually 11 pages long, and I still didn't get to do half the things I wanted to do. Oh well, I'll work on it in the next chapter. No, the story isn't over; there are still at least 4 chapters left. ^^


	9. Never Gonna Be Alone

AN: Author's notes at the bottom, and scattered through out.

**Soldier's Creed**

_Never Gonna Be Alone_

Gohan was alone with his thoughts for the first time since his son had been introduced into the world. Pan lay asleep in his lap, with Goku lying peacefully beside him in his bassinet. He couldn't help but wonder if these moments would last. Of course they wouldn't, Pan was too young to remember any of this. She was having a nightmare, he could feel her twitch uncomfortably, and mumble things in her sleep. He brushed a hand through her hair and sighed, leaning over to kiss her forehead. He felt bad for not explaining to her earlier about her mother, but circumstances wouldn't allow him to. Sighing, he smiled and brought her up, so that she was laying her head on his chest.

On the bed across from his chair, lay Videl's sleeping form. She was also suffering from nightmares, or severe discomfort. He botched it down to discomfort. She had been through quite a lot in the last few days. He smiled to her, and then looked back to Pan. _I wonder if they're having the same dream, _He muttered to himself absently. Before he could really think about it, he heard Videl whimpering. Vacating his spot, he gently lay Pan on the chair and went over to Videl's side, kneeling beside the bed.

Videl's glassy eyes looked at Gohan drowsily. She had been tired from the medication they'd put her on, and he knew how much she hated medicine for this reason. He sighed and brushed her tangled hair to the side. "Did you have that nightmare again?"

She nodded and caught his hand, bringing his palm to her lips as she kissed it softly. She would probably die without him, much less survive. She closed her eyes, fighting off a yawn, and then she attempted to sit up. He blinked and held her shoulders, ready in case if she hurt herself. He wasn't sure what he'd do, but he was there this time. "She died this time…" As if to reinforce her words, she looked to Pan to make sure she was still asleep.

"Pan isn't going anywhere, I promise," He murmured from beside her. Laying his head against her pillow, he smiled and kissed her forehead. "Neither is Goku. He's sleeping in here also…the nurse has to take him at two to feed him though, if you don't mind." Videl merely nodded and yawned again, looking at the floor for a moment. "They want you to try and feed him again today, he doesn't like the formula."

"I don't blame him, that gook looks nasty to me." She scrunched her nose in memory of when Pan was on formula. "It smells like rotten meat."

Gohan chuckled and ran his hand through her hair again. He'd never get tired of her. "Well they said he won't even eat the formula, but they have to try it again. Do you want to try and do this the natural way?" Personally, he preferred the natural way. The baby got much more nutrients that way. "You know how I prefer."

"I know, I suppose we could try it again." She looked to her daughter again; glad he'd changed the subject. She couldn't stand to see her having nightmares, but she needed her sleep as bad as the rest of them. "Have you been to bed yet?" She asked as she looked up to Gohan. He shook his head, an affirmative no.

"I'm alright, you know. Your mother will be by later to help me bathe; you don't have to worry about me." He chuckled a moment, remembering a time when they both hated each other, glad they'd come to terms with each other. "Ha ha, very funny; she's just helping me, because I don't like the nurses."

"Tell me about your dream," He asked sitting on his haunches. He was genuinely curious to know what had her so upset. "You said she died."

"She did…" Videl looked at his hand, playing with his ring absently. She wondered if he even cared that she messed with his rings. "She was just out in the yard, playing with Bee. It was quiet, we were both busy with things…I believe you were grading papers, and I was feeding Goku. I heard her scream, and went to see what was wrong, but she was gone by then." She took a deep breath, trying to find her bearings to continue. "When you went looking for her, we found out she was kidnapped by Buu…the old Buu, not the new one…he…"

She didn't even have to finish, he knew what she was going to say. Closing his eyes a moment, he rested his chin on his forearm, staring at her with loving eyes. "It's alright, Vi. It was just a dream, nothing is going to happen. And if anything does happen, she can handle it." He was giving her false hope, but there had been peace for almost three years now, what would threaten them? Looking to Pan's sleeping form; he wondered if she was having the same dream her mother had.

"Gohan, we can't keep avoiding her, she needs us." She stared at Pan, trying to find her nerve to admit she'd been wrong. "I didn't mean to neglect her; but I knew how badly you wanted a son…I tried…she was really good the entire time. Didn't fight me on eating her vegetables…she didn't even cry when I bathed her…"

He smiled absently, listening to her speak. "She didn't fight you on the vegetable deal? Normally that's the first thing she's on me about. Did she even eat the broccoli?" Videl nodded, and his mouth hung open. "Really; I thought that was non-negotiable?"

"She ate them, every last one of them. I think she knew deep down how much this meant to you…" Gohan nodded, brushing his lips against her forehead again. "She's a precious little girl, and I'm starting to feel terrible for what I did to her while I was pregnant…"

"Don't feel terrible…she understands. She didn't give you hell for a reason. She knows things…" He smiled and looked at Pan, hearing her faint cry. He couldn't wake her yet, the last time he'd tried, she bit him. "She hears everything we say, and she knows everything we do…she's not oblivious, Videl. She can understand your pain."

"I should have known…she is your child after all." He hated when she said that; what about her part in all of this? She was just as much part of Pan as she was! "I didn't mean it like that; I mean…she's got your mind. She thinks on the same scale as you. I can get one thought, and that's it, I can only focus on that one thought. She, she gets a thousand at a time, and can focus on three at a time!"

He chuckled again; his laugh was something she hadn't heard in a while. She was glad to have him back to some degree. Hearing someone behind them, Gohan turned to see Goten there, his hands jammed in his pockets, as he smiled to Videl. "I'm not going to lie," He muttered with a small chuckle. "You look like hell." (1)

Videl laughed a bit and held an arm out for him so he could hug her. She did love Goten on a brotherly scale, and he seemed satisfied with things that way. "How has Val been doing with all of this?"

"She's excited; she wants to 'practice' for the next year." He noticed Gohan's brows draw together, and he decided to add to the previous sentence. "That doesn't mean I'm giving her children right away, Gohan. We're still waiting, but she doesn't have siblings, she wants to know how to take care of children."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Videl whispered as she brushed back that one rebel strand of Gohan's hair. She loved it, but he didn't. "She wants to know what to do in case if she's babysitting for us sometime."

"I'm smarter than that, Vi; give me some credit." Gohan didn't move from his position at her side, he just looked at Goten with a frown. Goten didn't want to anger his brother, he wasn't sure what he was capable of now. "I don't even want you thinking about it…you're too young."

"You were twenty when you had Pan." Goten corrected as he looked to Videl for support. She didn't say anything yet, she wanted to wait for Gohan's reaction. She sighed and looked at her husband lovingly, praying he'd let it go.

"Twenty is a lot older than eighteen." He growled as he looked away from Videl. She could swear in that brief moment, that he'd changed again. "Goten, we discussed this. What are you even thinking about?"

"Gohan; they're engaged, they have the right to talk about things like this. They've been dating for four years, I'm pretty sure they're old enough. Besides…I was nineteen when Pan was born."

Gohan didn't think for a moment. He rested his head against her hand, looking away from his brother in defeat. "It doesn't matter, Valise is only seventeen. You don't even have a job yet, Goten…do you really want to repeat my mistakes?"

"I do have a job," he said absently as he looked to the floor. "My job is to be your little brother, and to be the best uncle I can be. To be a loving son…Gohan, I have a job."

"But you don't get real money doing that, and you're going to need it for a child." Gohan was quiet as he whispered this to his brother. He didn't even want to have this conversation with him; this was something his father should have been doing. "Goten, promise me you'll wait."

"We are waiting, what's so difficult about that? Valise and I want to get married first! We're not going to mess up like you and Videl did, we already agreed." Videl turned to Gohan quick, noticing his features darken, his face hardened; so much for her good day. "We aren't going to be a mistake…we discussed it."

"Videl and I discussed it, too. It was an accident." That comment angered Videl. How could he possibly look to Pan as if she was a mistake? Is that really how he thought of their family? "Discussions don't prevent the real thing from happening."

"Gohan," Videl whispered, yanking on his stray hair. "What do you mean by _accident_?"

"I mean that Pan was completely unplanned; neither of us was ready for her." He was quiet for a moment, wondering why she was so upset at the comment. "Videl?"

"How could you insinuate that our children were unplanned? Gohan, you told me that night that you _wanted _a child! You even _begged me _to give you one! Pan is not a mistake!" Videl closed her eyes remembering him whisper in her ear the night Pan was conceived; _please give me a baby…_

"I know…" He muttered looking down doggedly. "I just didn't expect it to happen right away. I wanted us to have established a life first. You were still living with your dad at that time, that wasn't very fair to him."

"We talked about it for all of an hour, and then things changed. Gohan, you can't blame Goten for anything, all he's doing is talking about it. Talking isn't doing." She looked to Goten, noticing he'd been torn about this decision for the longest time. "He's responsible, I'm sure he can handle it if anything does happen."

She could hear him breathing deep beside her, his anger starting to ebb away slowly. She knew how he felt; she was the same way with Goten. But she understood it from Valise's view more than from Gohan's. She sighed and smiled to Gohan. "Can you get me some water? I'm thirsty…"

"Sure, I could use some coffee right now," Gohan sighed when he untangled her hand gently from his hair. "I'll be back in a little bit…see if you can talk some sense into him."

* * *

"You really want a child?" Videl asked shifting a bit so that she was sitting up a little more, able to see his face a lot better. She hated not being able to see his eyes.

"We do, but not right now. Valise and I are talking about in the long run…right now; we're talking about houses, too. We're not even doing anything yet. I think its fair, we dated for four years." He looked to his shoes, wondering why Gohan was so irritated with what he'd said.

"I understand; but unfortunately your brother doesn't see it quite like that. All he heard was 'practice', and he lost it." She sighed and smiled to him, asking him to come over to her. "I wouldn't worry about him; don't let him stop you from what you want to do. I know he's your brother, and I know you care a lot about his opinion, but don't let it be the _only _opinion you take into account."

Goten nodded and smiled, picking up Pan into his arms. She wasn't sleeping anymore; she was begging him for a tickle fight. He knew it would be a bad idea to do it here, with the baby sleeping. God forbid he'd wake up Goku and have to deal with the wrath of Gohan again. "You're great with Pan," Videl said with a small smile on her lips. "You can handle a child, if you really want one."

"I do really want one," He smiled, his eyes brighter at the thought. "But after seeing what you went through…I don't think I could ever do that to Valise."

"The pain is well worth it, and you forget it the instant you hold your precious child in your arms. I forget just how hard it was every time I look at Goku." She knew he felt the same way, because he could see it in her eyes every time she held him. "Now, my understanding is that you won't forget when they're older, and you're yelling at them about how ungrateful they are…but that's alright; because in the end, that pain was worth it, too."

"I see," He gave Pan a tickle behind her leg, and then held her upside down, allowing her to grab her puppy stuffed animal. She loved that thing to pieces. "Thank you for your understanding, Videl…my only wish is that Gohan felt the same way."

"He will, you just have to give him some time to accept this. Goten, you're his little brother, he's not going to want you to be like him in every aspect. He wants you to make your own choices, and not rely on his example. He loves you a lot, and would lose it if anything happened to you. He'd probably be just as upset if you were to lose Valise."

"Just like I would feel if he lost you," Goten gasped softly as he tickled Pan behind her thigh. He understood now why Gohan acted so angry and hostile earlier. "Thanks again, Videl…and tell Gohan I'm sorry for how I treated him…I didn't mean to worry him."

"He knows," Videl's bright blue eyes showed every word as she spoke. Her emotions weren't only in the words she said, but the way she said it. He could tell every time she brought this up, that it was a very touchy subject with them. Apparently they'd argued about it before. "Your brother knows how much you care, Goten. It's just a little farfetched for him to accept sometimes." She heard his silent _thanks_ as he walked away.

* * *

Standing in the hallway, Gohan looked at the signs, trying to find the cafeteria. So far the only person who located it with any success was Trunks. He sighed and looked to the left, then the right, and saw an orderly with the nametag 'Kaitlynd'. "Excuse me," Gohan said with a smile as he looked to her. She had a very earthly kind of beauty, the kind that you'd see outside of the photography books. Although she was meticulous about her hair, she wore no makeup, not even to cover her acne. "Can you point me to the cafeteria?" (2)

When she turned, he noticed she wore a pair of thick, dark glasses and a pencil behind her ear. She offered him a smile, her teeth a little crooked, but the good kind, the kind that was purely cosmetic. "Sure," Her voice was also very delicate; it reminded him of a fifteen year old boy before puberty. Not too shrill, but not too deep at the same time. "It's down the hall to the left." (2)

"Thanks." He liked this woman, he had a feeling he'd known her from somewhere. Although he couldn't quite put his finger on it, he was positive he knew her. Turning the corner, he matched heads with none other than Hurcule. "Hurcule!"

"Gohan!" Hurcule was climbing to his feet when Gohan offered him a hand. Graciously accepting it, he smiled and looked to his son-in-law, dusting off his shirt. "How's Videl, is she alright? I heard the baby died."

"False alarm," He said as he looked at his father-in-law. He looked like Videl, like he hadn't slept in days. "He's doing fine, but you have five minutes to see him. They're taking him to the nursery at two."

Hurcule nodded frantically and looked at him. "How do I get to her room?" Gohan blinked, and looked at the signs behind him, in the direction the nurse pointed him in. Seeing the sign for his cafeteria on the right, he noted absently that she had trouble with directions. (3)

"Just follow me; I'll take you over there. If he's not there, they'll let you watch him in the nursery. Videl will have him back at three, they just have to try and feed him again. Right now he won't eat the formula." He didn't want to say the next part, but as her father, she felt he should know. "She doesn't make enough milk for him to really breastfeed, so we're trying to coerce him to drink the formula."

"Yeah," Hurcule said as he looked to his son-in-law. "She didn't even nurse Pan. Her mother had the same problem."

"I want her to at least try; there are more nutrients this way than there are in the formula." He walked by the nursery and noticed that nurse again, tending to the children as if she were made to do the job. When one cried she'd pick him up and calm him down, moving along the line until they were all sleeping again. "Do you recognize that nurse?"

Hurcule stopped for a moment, looking at the one in question. "The brunette?" Gohan nodded at his question. Hurcule turned to him and nodded. "She went to school with Videl. I think she was an outcast girl. No one really talked to her much from what I remember."

Gohan face-palmed, then looked at Hurcule again. "Kaitlynd! I know now, she was in our gym class…they were always pelting her with dodge balls. It seemed like the whole school was against her sometimes." He turned into the room and looked to Hurcule again. "I'd think after six years, she'd learn left from right, though."

Videl looked up at them, Pan lying against her on the bed, with Goku in the other arm sleeping. He didn't stay asleep long; since Gohan's loud words had woken him again. He seemed to love his father's voice; she only hoped he didn't grow used to it. "Daddy!" She shrieked excitedly as he came over and gave him a hug. "Didn't Gohan call you last night?"

"No, he must have forgotten." He knew he'd probably gone right to sleep after Videl had the baby, but he couldn't be sure, they both looked pretty ragged. "Is this little Goku? Where's his tail?"

Gohan had braced him, months before Videl had given birth, that there was a possibility of his son having a tail. Hurcule didn't seem to mind, since they all agreed to have it cut off. "He didn't have one." Gohan shrugged and looked to Pan, laying next to her mother, and sucking her thumb. He loved them both as much as he loved Videl, but Pan was still his treasure.

"Panny-Chan! How are you taking this?" Hurcule asked leaning over to kiss Pan's forehead. She giggled when his mustache tickled her face, and then put her shoe against his forehead. She was in that 'feet' phase of her life, when everything was touched at one time with her shoe. The only time they really stopped her was if she tried to do it to the baby. Other than that, she wasn't really harming anyone by doing it. "Pretty well, I take it?"

Pan giggled, and pointed to Goku, shifting her body so she was on her stomach now. She took Goku's hand and shook it gently, looking to Hurcule again. "Brother likes me." It was her first actual full sentence. Gohan blinked and looked to Pan, his eyes wide.

"What did you just say, Panny?" She looked up at him, wondering if she was in trouble for something. "You're not in trouble; I just wanted to know what you said."

"Brother likes me. Play, see?" She emphasized her point by pointing to Goku gnawing on her finger. (4) Gohan smiled and tickled her under her arm, earning another shrill giggle from her. "Papa sees?"

Gohan nodded and looked to Videl. Her expression said it all. There wasn't a moment in their lives that she wouldn't give up for this one.

Hurcule was quiet for a moment, as he held onto Goku. He didn't get to hold him long, since Kaitlynd was back to take him to the nursery. "Don't worry," She assured him. "You'll get to hold him again very soon. We just have to do a few routine things…feeding, diapers…the works."

* * *

In the hour they spent without Goku, Gohan tried desperately to get Pan to say another sentence. It seemed that Hurcule was the only one who could get her to do it. "Panny," Gohan said looking at her as he bounced her on his knee. "Say 'Momma'." Pan nodded and repeated what he said. "Now, say Goku."

"Tofu!" She shouted excitedly as she tried to repeat what he said. "Tofu, tofu, tofu!"

"No," he was a little frustrated, but he'd never hurt his daughter. He sighed and tried again, enunciating each syllable deliberately. "Go-coo."

"Toe-foo." She muttered when she saw his exasperated response. She loved to frustrate him, but it was more fun to do it when her brother was around. He always watched her, and she knew if he could, he'd be laughing with her. "Go-coo." She finally said.

He looked up with a bright smile. She'd done it; she'd said Goku. Now he'd have to teach her to say Goten. "Great! Say it again, for Daddy."

"Goku!" She jumped up and down excitedly, putting the name to a song. "Goku, Tofu, Goku, Tofu!"

Nuzzling her cheek, he smiled wide, looking to Videl. She'd been watching them with a fascination, wondering how he'd done it. He was the one who taught her how to speak; he was the one who taught her to match thoughts with actions and words. He was the one who taught her that when she wanted Chicken, to flap her arms like a chicken. She couldn't help but laugh now, as she matched Goku with Tofu.

"Great, so now when she sees her brother, she'll think of food. Good job, Gohan." She sighed and laughed, not wanting to kill his excitement. Hurcule snapped a picture of the family when they weren't looking. Videl only noticed because of the flash. "If she takes a bite out of our son, it's not my fault."

"She won't…she knows better." He smiled to her again, and took her little hands in his. "Can you say _Goten_?"

"Goo ten?" She looked up to her father, her blue eyes searching for a response. He smiled and hugged her close.

"Close enough." He went on like this for quite a while, successfully teaching her five words that day. "Goten" which she would say "Gooten", "Grandpa" which she would say "Gampa", "Grandma" which she said "Gamma", "Goku", which she said "Tofu", and "Baby".

* * *

Kaitlynd wheeled the cart back in, looking to the four family members that were in various places in the room. Pan hobbled her way from her father sleeping in the chair, all the way across the room to her grandfather munching on a cracker. She reached her stubby hand up for the item in his hand. Hurcule looked to Videl for permission first. "She can have it; she'll just suck all the life out of it first."

Kaitlynd couldn't help but chuckle at the words, remembering another little girl who was the same way. (5) She looked to Videl and ran a hand through her hair, smiling a bit at the family bonding. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better, is there anything you need?"

Videl shook her head with a smile. "No thanks…I'll be fine. Thank you though, Kaity."

The nurse nodded and turned to walk away, while Hurcule ran to the bassinet and looked at the sleeping child. He'd been angry he only got to see him for a mere five minutes before, but this sure made up for it. Reaching into the plastic box, he pulled the child out, rocking him gently in his arms. "Goku, Goku, Goku…" He looked to Videl, frowning slightly. "Not Hurcule, the hero of Earth?"

"We wanted to combine your names, but it sounded odd…Gerkule is no name for a baby…it sounds like a frog," She mumbled as she looked to her husband. He muttered his agreement, but didn't open his eyes. She chuckled. It always made her laugh when he did that. He heard everything they said, and often he'd respond in his sleep, forgetting he was asleep.

"What about…Hurcule Goku?" Hurcule was pushing his luck now, Videl sighed. Pan attempted to climb up onto the bed, and Videl reached over and helped her, by boosting her up. She winced, feeling every bone in her body ache. It was a painful recuperation process, and she was almost glad this would be her last child for a while. "No, his name is Goku on his birth certificate…"

He noticed her cringe and frowned. He hadn't realized how much pain she was in. It wasn't nearly this bad for Pan, he could remember. "What about—"

"Dad, we already put his name on his birth certificate, maybe if we have another son we can name him Hurcule." She didn't even want to do that, her father's name was Lloyd, but he'd legally changed it when he won the martial arts tournament. This was partially why they'd chosen Goku in the first place; a real name for a real warrior, not a fake name for a real soldier.

Hurcule sat beside her on the bed, cradling his newborn grandson with a delicate passion. "He's so tiny; he'll grow out of that right?"

"Yes," Gohan answered again, in his sleep. "He's just a little…premature." Videl winced at the words, remembering what had caused her to deliver so early. She couldn't rightfully blame her husband; she could blame the war however. It just wouldn't be right if she did.

"Gohan, shouldn't you be sleeping?" Hurcule asked as he looked to his son-in-law. He didn't answer him, which made Hurcule wonder if he was ignoring him.

"He has selective hearing when he's asleep," Videl said with a smile. "He only answers me, or Pan. If he listens to everyone, then he wouldn't be sleeping."

Gohan stuck his tongue out, only to have it grabbed by Pan from her spot in the bed. He chuckled and opened one eye, hoisting her into his lap. "Panny, Panny, what would I ever do with you? Can I cut your tongue off and use it for stew?"

She shook her head frantically and hid behind his shirt. "Not ton!" He could tell she was talking about her tongue, but he smiled anyway.

"You're right; you need that to talk to him." Hurcule said with a laugh as he looked to his granddaughter. "He'd get mighty upset if you couldn't talk to him."

"Daddy, are you glad to be part of the family again?" Videl asked from her perch on the bed. She wanted to walk around, but they told her not to on the first day. "It has been a while since I included you in anything."

"I'd be upset if you didn't, I have just as many rights to see my grandchild as your husband does." He turned when he heard a knock on the door. "Should I get that?"

Videl was quiet a moment; she'd seen the uniform from the small window in the door. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she took a deep breath and turned to her father. "Yes."

Hurcule gasped when he opened the door, not expecting the man in an Army uniform. The mossy green seemed like nothing compared to Gohan's eyes. "Are you Mrs. Son?"

Videl nodded with a smile; loving the way that sounded. "Yes, and you are…?"

"Hofstadter." He said with a grin looking to Pan. "I'm a messenger for the United Army. First let me say congratulations on your son." He paused and looked to Gohan, hearing Videl's breath hitch when he did. She was scared; she didn't like the prospect of him going back just yet. "Second, by regulation, we are allowed to give your husband a month of leave time to help you get prepared for the child coming home. He's one of our best men, so we want him to be as ready as possible when his time is up. 38 days," The man said before turning on his heel. He was precise; his words were almost as precise as his steps. He was deliberate with each step.

"Thank you," Videl called after him. Hurcule closed the door after the man called back with a _Don't thank me._ "Who was that?" She asked looking to Gohan quietly. She could tell he was pensive at the moment, wondering if she'd done something to upset him.

"My commanding officer," He said as he looked to Pan, his grip on the side of the chair turning his knuckles white. "I didn't expect him to come here to tell me…normally they send a letter."

She reached over and gently placed her hand on his. "Why is that a problem? You look upset." She wondered absently if he was upset with her again. Had she done something wrong? She frowned, her joy from earlier slowly fading away.

"I…huh?" He looked over to see his hand, then quickly let go and smiled to her. "No, it's not a problem…I just forgot I was doing it." Chuckling he put a hand gently to her cheek and smiled. "I'd never be angry about having time to spend with you and the children."

"Can someone tell me who that was?" Hurcule asked from the doorway, where he still held a sleeping Goku.

"Bring him over here so I can feed him, and Gohan can fill you in on the details."

* * *

Chapter 9, for my adoring fans.

1. Jacob Black said this to Bella when he'd seen her just before she had her baby. I believe it was in Breaking Dawn.

2. Ok, so I took creative liberties. Kaitlynd is me…described exactly how I look and act…

3. This was a reference to my time in high school, when I couldn't tell left from right. It wasn't until the last year that I finally got it. My indicator was that I'd put a rubber band on my left hand, and snap it every time I went the wrong way.

4. I don't know if babies do this at this young of an age; the first mother I remember I wasn't around very often. The second one killed her baby (though there's stipulation that she never did.) .

5. Five was a reference to the child I've been using as my example for these chapters. I used to baby sit a little girl named Rebecca, her mother was the one I also used as my 'model' for the birth. I was close to the family for a long time, so I didn't think she'd mind me using Beka-binks for my ideas.

I also wanted to thank Noryale the most, because she's given me a lot of inspiration and hope to continue these stories. Without her, I would have given up by now. In fact, she saw my previous idea, and is the only one to know how terrible it would have been if I hadn't listened to her. I'm glad she found this story and gave me the little inspiration I needed to keep going.

Also, I wanted to thank the other people who reviewed. I'm doing this for you guys; because I know I was upset when I went back and read some of my favorite unfinished stories. ("Pan's Fight" being one of them). So I wanted to say I'm sorry for that little note, and I won't do it again. As for _Those Nights_, I'll probably update it tomorrow. (For those wondering, that story is completely based on the song "Those Nights" by Skillet...)

_Through all the hard times in my life, those nights kept me alive._

Oh yeah, and I told Nory last night that my main muse right now is a song called "After the Rain" by the Nelson Brothers. Look it up, it's a wonderful song. I love it to death right now. =)

Another side note: This chapter was not proofread, my beta got his internet shut off, so I can't really get it proofread right now. I know there are very little grammatical errors (haha), but there may be continuity errors. If you notice something I didn't, let me know and I will fix it. ^^


	10. More Than Love

**I know it's been a long wait with this chapter, and thank you so much for being patient with me! I really appreciate the kindness of some of you guys. It's what's driving me to keep going. Yes, the last few chapters were unrealistic, but we're getting back on track now, sorry about that. I started chapter eight, then felt sorry for how I wrote it, and added the last bit. So yeah. Anyway, chapter ten, folks!**

**Soldier's Creed**

_More than Love_

_More than love, more than this; more than what is in these two hands. More than love, more than me...but I can't give more than I am._

Silence was the first thing on Videl's mind when she came home from shopping that morning. She had asked Trunks and Goten to baby-sit for her, while Gohan was at work. Though Pan hadn't been a problem, it seemed Goku was. She carried the few bags in, placed them on the counter, and looked into the living room. World War III was the understatement; popcorn strewn about madly, a fork stuck in the ceiling, the remnants of an old pillow - possibly from Pan's room, a few broken dishes...it was disorganized chaos. She quietly stepped over the carnage, wondering where her daughter and nephew could possibly be, when she heard the words 'you bastard! You took my kill!', and decided there was no need to move any further. Standing at the foot of the steps, she stomped her foot down, and shouted for Trunks, the older of the two.

Trunks barreled down the steps, stopping just before hitting her. Quietly, he stared up and down at her perturbed figure, and decided that she was upset about the mess in the living room. Pan had thrown a tantrum, and that was the last result. The last stand of Colonel Trunks Briefs and Lieutenant Goten Son, they had told each other. 'The greatest battle that everybody never knew' (1). After casually observing Videl's folded arms, he gave a famous Goku smirk and smiled. "Shall I start cleaning?"

"Oh no, that's fine. I can clean it, but what was going through your head when you decided to TRASH my HOUSE?" She asked leaning dangerously close to his nose. He leaned back in response, knowing she was still a bit upset at the last two weeks events. With Christmas just a few days away, he could understand her plight.

"I, uhh...we..." Suddenly Goten was by his side, holding the remnants of a game controller, mostly a joystick and nothing else, as he looked at Videl on the landing. "We got wrapped up in a game of war while Pan was sleeping. Goten put up a good fight."

"Uh, right!" Goten agreed, dropping the controller behind him. He smiled softly and hopped down the remaining steps, landing next to Trunks with precision that only a fighter would have. "Sorry Vi, we'll clean it up."

"You'd better, if Gohan comes home and sees this, you're both dead. He's upset as it is, you shouldn't make it worse. Goten, have you talked to Val lately? I saw her at the store today," Videl started, leaning over to pick up some of the trash, and closing the distance to the kitchen so she could throw it away. "Looks like she's coming down with something. It's the season for the flu."

"Yeah, she has the flu," Goten answered sadly as he helped her pick up remnants of old items that were destroyed in the crossfire. "I told her to stay home, but she wanted to go on the ski trip in the worst way, so now she's sick, and I got banned from taking care of her."

"By who?" Videl asked, stopping to look into his green eyes, him staring wistfully into the distance.

"Her parents. They said she needed to get better before she was allowed to see me again. It seems fair to me, so I didn't argue. How is work going for Gohan? I know he was having a hard time adjusting to not having a gun on him. He said that he went through a whole day, trying to avoid yelling at kids not calling him by rank. I don't think he's used to being called 'Professor Son', again. It's been almost five months."

(Yes; five. She was 3 months when he left. Yes, I skipped Pan's birthday - unintentionally.)

Videl was silent as she listened to Trunks gathering papers. Goten was busy folding blankets and tossing pillows on the couch. She barely registered the sound from upstairs. It wasn't Pan; the cries were to shrill to be Pan, which meant that Goku was awake already. He was supposed to be asleep until five, not three, which got her to the point that she was looking for help from everyone. She was lucky that Pan listened, and slept late, or she'd be on her last wits. "He's colic," Videl whispered quietly, her feet dragging her towards the steps. Before she could get there, Goten stopped her. "Goten, I have to get my son."

"I'll get him. You're tired, lay down for a bit. He'll be alright with me, I know what to do." Goten nodded a bit, then raced up the steps to the nursery.

"He's not kidding," Trunks began, sitting on the couch, Videl flopping down next to him. "He's rather good with her, Gohan's been teaching him. He and Goku get along like brothers; it's a little crazy sometimes. Videl, what's bothering you? It's not like you to be so quiet. Not even on a bad day. You're always talking about something. Is this about Gohan having to go back on the eleventh?" Videl watched him, her blue eyes uncertain of what he was getting at. She stared at the floor, silence filling the room as he reached over and placed a hand on her knee. "He'll be alright; you survived this long, didn't you?"

"But they want to take him again, Trunks. I don't know if I could handle losing him a second time. Pan...what do I tell Pan? Goku, he'll know, he's too young to understand, but we can't just tell Pan he's going on business again. She'll never fall for it." She ran her hands through her hair, staring blankly at the floor, listening to him breathe beside her. "If he has to go again, Pan's not going to hear it. She's only going to believe so much; she's three, she understands." Goten came down the steps with little Goku, staring at Videl and Trunks. Smiling a bit, he placed Goku in her outstretched arms, knowing she needed her son as much as he needed her.

"I know she understands, but that's the good thing, because of that little understanding that she has for the situation, Videl…she knows why he's doing it. Besides, he could explain it if he had to, you know he would. Gohan doesn't want to go back either, but this is what he was called to do. He's a protector, not just a protector of earth, but of humanity, of you and the kids. He does it because he wants to, not because he has to. You three are his life; he made sure of that, this is his chance to do something to preserve that. If he had to; it would be harder for him to give up you guys, than it would be for him to go to war." Trunks explained, watching her with Goku. Goku was quiet now, content in his mother's arms. He seemed to have his little hand stretched towards his mother's hair, pulling gently on the locks that cascaded down the front of her face. She didn't mind much, she never did. "He understands, as well."

"I know he does, Trunks. They do, they really do, and that's not always a good thing. They know he's leaving, they know he has to, but they don't know why. How do you tell a three year old that her father has to go away again to protect people he doesn't know? To fight in a war that we're not even sure whose right? Just because our religion is different, doesn't make them _wrong_. They're human, like you or I…like I am…that doesn't make them killers." Videl rocked Goku gently, smiling at him when he gnawed on her hair. She was careful to not let him eat the hairs, since he'd likely choke on them if he did.

"Gohan did his best to explain the situation to them, all you can do is hope they will learn in time. He'll be back in July, so you don't have to worry two much. Five months is already out of the way, you just have to survive the last eight, and you'll be able to do anything. You can do this, Vi. I've seen you take on people twenty times your size and not back down; I've seen you get your head pounded into the ground, and laugh. I've even seen you stand up against insurmountable odds, for the sake of someone you love. There's no way you can't handle this."

"I've gotten used to him." Videl quietly whispered, shifting her son to her shoulder as she wiped away tears with her other hand.

"What?" Trunks inquired, listening to her softly crying.

"I've gotten used to him being here, coming home every night. Having to know he's leaving again, it hurts. It feels like he's leaving his love with it. I don't want to say goodbye again; it hurts too much knowing he won't be home every night, to know he won't be here to tuck the kids in with me. What would you do? What would you do if your girlfriend just left and didn't say goodbye?" She asked staring over at him with sharp eyes.

"I don't…have a girlfriend." He admitted quietly. Sighing in defeat, he looked away.

* * *

After closing the door, and making sure that it was locked, Gohan casually made his way into the kitchen as if he hadn't been gone for five months. He put his papers and books away on his desk, where they usually went. He didn't even stop to glance at the flowers that were on the table now, as if they'd always been there. Videl's mood had changed, she was more depressed since he'd come home, but the doctor said it was her post-partum depression. He didn't question a doctor's logic, but he didn't trust him, either. This was the same doctor that told him there was no chance of his son surviving. He could hear a faint giggling from upstairs, which meant Pan was awake.

"Videl?" He called, pacing around the room, waiting for a response. When he didn't receive one, he took the steps, looking into the first bedroom. Goku was sleeping in his crib. He'd been changed, by the looks of the half empty bottle; he'd been fed, and he was now sleeping soundly with his blanket and bear. Closing the door softly he went into the next room, where the giggling came from.

"Panny-Chan?" Pan was sitting amidst the chaos of what used to be a dollhouse, now ripped apart in a fit of anger. It wasn't literally destroyed, but all the furniture was missing, most likely strewn about in the toy box. "At least you're happy today," he murmured kneeling beside her, sitting with his legs folded. "What are we playing today?"

"Cops 'n' robbers." She answered with her sly, three-year-old expressions. Her speech was awkward, he'd never noticed how she annunciated some words, and left the others to fade. It didn't bother him as much as he had supposed it would. Placing a hand in her hair, he ruffled it before picking up a Harley doll. "That's momma."

He stared at the doll curiously. She was thin, too thin to be his wife. Her hair was brunette, also, and he was positive his wife had black hair. This doll was anything but what he would call his wife, but it was her play time, so he'd let her do the imagining. "And who's that?"

"That's you," She picked up the doll, one that was nearly missing all his hair. It looked like an old G. action figure, from when he was a little kid. He blinked, looking at the camo pants and top, the makeshift dog tags that one of the adults undoubtedly made.

"Striking resemblance," He chuckled as he put the doll down and kissed her forehead. "I'll be back; I guess I should go find momma now. Have you seen her?"

"Huh-uh. In Goku's room?" She asked, wondering if he was upset with her again. Pan's speaking had gotten better since she had him to work on it with her; it was almost as if she was saying complete sentences now.

"No, I already checked in there, kiddo. Did she say anything about going to see Grandma today?" When Pan shook her head no, he knew she wasn't going to say anything else. Plus, it wasn't like Videl at all to leave her kids alone in a house. Not with Goku needing as much attention as he did. Turning on his heel, he stepped off with his left foot, and continued down the hall. _Heel, toe_. It was a habit in the military, one that he couldn't quite break yet; but he knew he had to try.

The next place he checked was in their bedroom. She had folded laundry, placing it precariously on the bed. Most likely, she'd put it away later, as she usually did. The bed wasn't made yet, which made him wonder if she was upset. She usually didn't do the meaningless tasks when she was upset, she would let them go until he did them. Shaking his head slowly, he knelt in front of the dresser and picked up a stack of clothes, putting them into their respected drawers.

It wasn't until all the laundry was away, and he opened the top drawer, did he realize why she was so upset. He pulled out an envelope, a letter sized envelope, with his handwriting, and a post-mark from the base he was at. He remembered sending the letter, but he didn't remember what day it was. After doing the math, he realized that he'd gone two months without sending her anything. Frowning, he put the letter back, and sighed, knowing he'd have to make it up to her eventually. His first priority was finding her…after making the bed of course.

* * *

Videl sat in the nursery, humming a song to Goku while he slept. She hadn't seen him so quiet since he was brought home, she was unsure as to weather he was still alive anymore. When she heard the heavy footsteps in the hallway, she froze, and turned away from the door, prepared to take Goku and run if she had to. _Calm down_ she told herself silently _it's just Gohan._

"Videl? I've been looking for you all afternoon, where were you?" Gohan stopped, noticing her defensive reaction. She turned away from him, he wasn't sure why. "A…Are you afraid of me?"

"No, I just got used to you not being around, I got taken off guard." Smiling, she looked down at little Goku again, tilting her head to the side softly, watching him sleep. "He looks like you," She began, hovering a hand over the child for a moment, and then decided not to pick him up. "He's got your smile, have you seen it? It's gorgeous. Amazing, to say the least. You're going to miss all this."

"No; I won't miss anything," he answered slyly, wrapping his arms around her hips, laying his head on her shoulder as he watched their son sleep. "I'll be right here with you…somehow. Videl, I'm sorry you had to do it alone, and I'm sorry I wasn't there enough for you. I didn't mean to let go like that…I didn't even mean to get wrapped up in my own things. I owe you the time we missed, not words. Will you let me make it up to you, and Panny-Chan?"

"It's not me that you have to ask," She answered with a smile, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "It's Goten you have to convince, since he's the honorary babysitter of Goku."

"Goku's going with," Gohan was so sure, it made Videl wonder what he was thinking. Absently, she went to pick up Goku again, and then stopped when she felt Gohan's hand in hers.

"Let him sleep; he's quiet today. You were just saying that you never get a break from him, that he's always crying. Let him sleep. He'll be awake later, and we can play with him then. Until then, Panny's in her room, playing with her dolls. Why not take her out in the snow?" Gohan suggested, looking over her head at their son again.

"She's afraid of the snow. How about we rent a movie? I'm sure something's out that you and she want to see." Videl suggested, waiting for him to respond. When she noticed he was staring at Goku, she flashed a smile, and leaned over the crib. "He's cute when he sleeps…looks like you when he sleeps. Gohan, he'll almost be a year when you come home."

"I know," Gohan answered with a small frown, his eyes watering a little. "I know he will. I missed Pan's third birthday…I'll miss Goku's first birthday…I don't want to go back." He whispered softly, feeling her arms around him. He felt safer, knowing she wasn't going to leave him. She felt comfort, and joy, knowing he felt the same way as her. "Videl, I don't want to go back, I'll miss it all, everything…these years, these are years you don't get back. I won't be able to wish them back, or wish those years back. He won't even remember me when I come home."

"He will," Her eyes softly focused on his, leaning towards him, she kissed him softly on the lips. "I'll make sure he knows who you are, and I've got a platoon of people to back me up with it. You can bet that your mother and Bulma won't let your legacy go unknown."

"Legacy, pah," He kissed her back, their lips lingering for a moment, before the soft cry filled the air. He looked over to Goku, breaking the kiss. "Looks like the monster's awake. Which one of us did it, do you think? I bet it was me, I have that effect on people."

"He's colic," Videl stated when she lifted him from the crib carefully. "He rarely sleeps through the night, but when he does, he's out. I think he has nightmares, but Bulma said he's too young to have nightmares. Two weeks isn't nearly old enough for nightmares, she says." She was rambling, so she cut herself short and smiled, offering him as if he were a sacrifice. "He's yours as much as he is mine."

"Thanks," Gohan said as he took the child into his arms, cradling him. "Videl, he's doing wonderful with just you. So is Pan…it's like you guys don't even need me. I want to be here, though. I'm not saying you _don't_ need me. How have you stayed strong for so many months?"

"I reread your letters every morning. Sometimes I'll read them to Pan, and Goku, for bedtime stories. They like it; it's something they can relate to. Well, not relate to, but they know it's from you, so they love to hear it. Of course, I have to do heavy duty editing, so I keep a few copies nearby. It gives us all a little bit to remember while you're gone."

He stared down at the sleeping Goku, nodding his head slowly. "How about you go get Pan, I have an idea."

"Gohan, why do I get the feeling I don't want to know?" Videl peered over her shoulder at him, waiting for a response that never came. He was already gone, Goku with him.

* * *

"Goku, you're always quiet when I'm around…I don't think you like me much." Goku's eyes were closed, his hands flailing around with such fervor, Gohan thought it could be possible he was having a nightmare, but he didn't cry. Chichi always said that they felt safe in their father's arms, knowing that nothing could hurt them. With him not around, there was no protection for the kids, and they would often cry without warning.

Sitting on the couch, he held onto little Goku, wondering if it was possible to be more in love with a child. He felt like this with Pan, too, an overwhelming pride for both his children that he could never really explain. Laying Goku in the playpen, he waited for Pan and Videl to come down. In the time it would take them, he could be done. Thus, he began building.

"Gohan, _what _are you doing?" Videl asked, holding Pan's hand. She looked down on what used to be the living room, now full of blankets and pillows. She couldn't be sure if he'd lost his mind, or was being childish. She loved when he was childish, but this was cause for alarm. He'd wrecked all the cleaning she'd done earlier, causing havoc to the last remaining few things that weren't touched yet. "Have you gone daft?"

"It's fort Watson," He answered with a nod toward Pan. "Come on, come on, don't stay out there, you'll get shot!"

Pan giggled and hid under the blankets with him, waiting for Videl to join. "You coming?" Gohan asked as he observed his wife.

Videl leaned over and watched the two of them, her smile fading as she peeked over his head at Pan. "No; and I want this cleaned up."

"Videl! Don't be a negative Nancy! We're having fun." He pouted, hoping that it would work, but it didn't. She was still upset; then he'd said it. "No wonder no one talks to you anymore." The night was over as soon as it had begun, and he regretted it every second that lapsed. "I didn't mean that!"

"The hell you didn't!" She shouted back, ignoring him. "Have fun with her, you might not see her again!"

"Panny! Did you hear that? She says we might not see you again." He blinked, continuing with the game as if it never happened. "Keep an eye out for anything abnormal."

"Papa, Abby normal?"

"Anything that seems like it doesn't fit in." he answered.

Pointing to a slug-like creature oozing towards them, she smiled. "Like that?"

"That's…pretty abnormal." Gohan stated, shocked. He watched it come closer and closer, then bam! The blanket pulled away to reveal Videl. "So you decided to play with us?"

"Only because it sounded like you were having fun." Videl climbed into the fortress, listening to them go over battle plans against the evil monkey. She blinked, wondering if Gohan was aware that they were both part monkey, but then wrote it off as she looked at her son again. He was right, days like these wouldn't come by again, and you had to take them when you got them. Turning to the two kids, she smirked. "What about rescuing the baby out there? He's injured, and trapped by the evil monkey king, we've got to help him."

"She's right," Gohan announced, smirking back at his wife. "We have to extract him as carefully as possible, so as not to hurt him. But how?" Smashing a fist into his palm, he shouted; "By god, I've got it!"

"What, Captain?"

"Don't call me Captain."

"Sir?"

"Don't call me Sir."

"What _should _I call you?"

"Umm…" He looked at his dog tags, thinking of a good answer. "Sergeant!"

"Alright, so what now, Sergeant Son?"

"We move out! Everyone keep to the mission. Pan, you flank from the left, I'll go to the right. Videl, cover me."

"Oh, I'll cover you," As soon as he began to leave, she dropped a blanket on him.

"By George, it's got me! HELP!" Thrashing about, rolling around on the floor, Gohan attempted to release himself from the blanket, but nothing worked. "Please, help?"

"Ok, alright," She smirked, pulling it away again. "I thought you were some big mumbo-jumbo Army guy?"

* * *

As Gohan lay on the bed, Videl smiled and handed him a glass of water, along with two tablets. His forehead was bleeding slightly, and his arm was still throbbing, she hadn't had time to ask about that. "You look like you're doing better."

"You let me go in there without protection, what did you expect?" Gohan asked, graciously taking the glass from her. Swallowing the two pills, he drank a bit of the water, and then set it on the table beside the bed.

"I _didn't _expect her to throw a book at you, that's for sure, but when you walked into the table, I couldn't help but laugh. Your own plan was foiled, it wasn't my fault. You should have gone over it with me again." Videl sat on the edge of the bed, brushing a hand gently through his hair. "You're still her hero, even if you can't handle a scratch."

"I can so handle a scratch; I've gotten scars you couldn't imagine. Oh right, you've seen them all. That's beside the point! Where'd she get the book, anyway?" He asked, sitting up, only to fall back down.

"Probably your study, I only caught the glimpse of 'Laws of Physics', as it went flying by. Appropriate topic, if you'd have to ask for my opinion."

"I didn't ask your opinion," He scowled, feeling his forehead for fresh blood, but it had pretty much scabbed over now. "She's got a mean arm, ever consider baseball?"

"Tried it."

"And?"

"She hit Goten in the nuts, and that was the end of that little adventure. Maybe you should train with her again, she misses it. You may not be able to do a whole lot with her, but she'd appreciate the little time you do have together." Videl suggested, brushing away his rebel strand of hair.

Catching her hand, Gohan kissed the palm, intertwining his fingers with hers. "You think she'd be able to survive in a marital arts tournament? She'd be pretty good at it, if we could train her enough."

"She'll be four next year, that's the minimum age requirement. We could put her in next years' competition if you're up for it. Gohan, you should get some rest."

"I will, but I want you to get some rest with me. You've been a maid, a chauffer, a friend, an enemy, an ally, a monster, a rebel, a nurse, and a mother, all in one day. Doesn't it get hard?"

"Not when you're married to the greatest superhero on the planet," She answered, kissing his forehead softly. "Get some sleep."

* * *

"Get some sleep, she says," Gohan grumbled rolling onto his side and staring out into the distance. The light bothered him, more so than the people in the hallway talking. She was reading to Pan, so he didn't want to bother her. He could hear a ringing on the side table, which made his headache worse. Picking up the phone, he stared at the number, wondering who 7819 was. "'Ello, Son here."

"Gohan! It's Goten!"

"Goten, what's wrong?"

"Valise is sick, she has the flu." Goten answered his question, but the problem still wasn't actually assessed.

"What do you want me to do?" Gohan asked again.

"I want you to help me take her to the hospital."

"The hospital? Why? I thought you said she had the flu?"

"Well we thought she did to, but since she refused to see a doctor, we didn't know for sure."

"So what's the problem then?"

"I think she has pneumonia."

"Pneumonia? How did she get it?"

"Probably running around the ski-lodge in nothing but her night-gown, I don't know, but she's not looking too good. Can you help me or not?"

"Yeah, I'll help you. Let me go tell Videl I'll be back later."

"Hurry up, Gohan. I don't want her getting worse."

"Worse than she already is?" Gohan asked silently, hanging up the phone.

"Videl?" He didn't wait for an answer; he just grabbed his keys off the side table, along with his cell phone and glasses. "I'll be back; I have to take Goten somewhere. He said something about Valise having pneumonia; we're running her to the hospital. I'll be home tonight, alright?"

"Sure, just don't get sick yourself…we can't afford to pass it along to the kids." Videl shouted back at him, wondering why Goten called him and not her.

"If I need you for anything, I'll call. My cell phone is with me, and it's on."

* * *

Ten had passed, now it was slowly seeping into eleven at night. Gohan still wasn't back, but he hadn't called either, which let Videl know something was either horribly wrong, or everything was alright. She couldn't gauge his reaction by him talking to her, since she couldn't see his face, but she could imagine if Goten was upset, it was serious. Goku cried, which should have alarmed her first, but then she heard the footsteps in the hall, and assumed it was just her husband coming back. Then it became aware to her senses that Gohan wouldn't have worn his shoes upstairs, he never did. She rifled through her side table for the pistol she kept there, the one her father had given her. She'd never used it, but she would if she needed to.

The footsteps were hovering towards the nursery, which made her wonder why they were after Goku. Then they moved again, and were going towards Pan's room. Goku was quiet, she prayed he wasn't dead. It's not like a murderer couldn't just slit his throat and have done with! As the footsteps grew closer and closer, the door flew open to reveal a man she'd never met.

Now, staring down the barrel of a gun, he flinched slightly and smiled a bit. Goku began to cry again, alerting Videl that he hadn't been killed. "Stop right there," She began, holding the gun at arm's length. It occurred to her that she must look ridiculous standing there in Gohan's old shirt, her hair up in a ponytail, and her toes only half painted, but she didn't seem to care. Holding the gun at steady length, she smirked. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

"Sergeant Borodin…Nick Borodin. I'm here to talk to Gohan." The man replied, laying a hand on the top of the gun, and slowly lowering it to her side. "The safety is on."

"Look, Gohan isn't here, and where did you get the bright idea to just…_waltz _into our house as if no one was going to say anything?"

"He gave me a key; he said you weren't going to be home tonight. I needed a place to crash, since my wife left me after I went into the military. Look, I don't want to hurt you, but your son really needs your attention right now. Do you have a phone so I can call Gohan?"

"Please," She smirked, unlocking the safety on the gun and pointing it at him again. "Go call him. If you're lying to me, I'll do it. Don't think I won't."

"You'd shoot me with your kids down the hall?" Borodin asked, curiously tilting his head to the side. She put the gun back and glared at him. "I thought so. Go take care of your son."

"Shut the hell up, I don't need your help parenting my kids. I do a fine job of it on my own!" She stalked down the hall towards the nursery, wondering why the hell a friend of Gohan's would just walk into the house, even with his permission.

* * *

"Coffee?" She asked, holding Goku in her arm. She poured herself a glass, and then turned to the intruder. "I don't make coffee for every man that breaks into the house; Gohan said to trust you, so I guess I have to now. You hurt my kids, I hurt you."

"Coffee is fine; black please. Look, I don't want to hurt your kids. Way I see it, your daughter could take me with her pinky. Gohan told me stories about you guys. So your father is really Hurcule?" he tapped his fingers on the table impatiently, taking the offered glass with a smile.

"Don't even bring that up; I'm not proud of my lineage." Videl stared down at her son for a moment, glad he was sleeping again. "I still don't get why you broke into my house to talk to my husband."

"Night mission," he said softly, holding the glass to his lips, blowing on it a bit. "He's our platoon leader, and when he didn't answer his cell phone, we had to do the next best thing. He hasn't been _working late_ at the _school_; he's been working late at the base."

"Why couldn't he just tell me that?" Videl asked, her blue eyes focused on his brown hues.

"Because if you knew, it would put you and your kids at risk. Look, say nothing to anyone. Just go on as if you normally would." Borodin said when the front door opened. Gohan looked angry, Videl could understand why. This man not only broke into his house, but he'd scared his son, and would have scared Pan if she wasn't a deep sleeper.

Gohan stalked towards him, Borodin meeting him half way. Not even hesitating, Gohan lifted him by his shirt collar, growling at him. "Nicholas, I appreciate you, you're a fine man, but I swear to _god _if you _ever _break into my house again, you'll be answering to me, and not her. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." The man replied, cowering a bit. He'd never been this way overseas, but he assumed he was being protective of his family, which was a whole different scale than his platoon. "I didn't mean—"

"Yeah? Well I did. Come near them again, and I'll make sure you feel it for the rest of your life. That woman right there, she's my wife and she would take you out in an instant. Hell, I'm sure my daughter would even try it if she had to. You ever decide to play cadet for the lower levels; I'll personally escort your dead body back to command. Now what the _hell _do you want, Borodin?"

"A place to stay," he responded, when Gohan finally let him go. "You gave me a key back in the sandbox, told me I could stay here if I ever needed to…you didn't talk to her?"

"No! I wouldn't talk to her until you were ready! You call me ahead of time next time!" Gohan shouted, startling Goku from his sleep.

"I tried but you had your cell phone off – or you were call screening." When he noticed Videl look towards him, he blinked. "Call screening."

"Of course he was, he only wanted to talk to me," She whispered, pacing around with Goku in her arms. She softly rocked him, singing a lullaby to him as she did so. She seemed very parental, not so childish anymore. Videl had a natural grace about her, one that even Gohan hadn't noticed. "He even told me that."

"Videl, here, I'll take him." Videl graciously placed the infant in his arms, then crossed hers and stared at Borodin. "Vi, back down a bit, he's not all bite."

"Yeah? Well he sure didn't seem like it when he was talking to me!" She felt threatened, she was sure that Goku did, too. Had he been old enough to talk, she was sure he'd voice an opinion. "Gohan, you told me to trust him, and I will, but if he pulls this stunt again, I'll murder him in cold blood."

"He won't," Gohan stated over Goku's head. "If he does, I'll get to him first. Go back to sleep, you need it. Don't let him wrestle your emotions, ok? I promise I've got it handled. And make sure you put the safety back on."

"The safe—oh! I forgot I took it off." Kissing his cheek, she nodded and looked at Goku before running off upstairs. She looked more like a teenager than she did an adult, it was unreal to him.

* * *

"Seriously," Gohan began, placing his hand on the table while Goku slept in his lap. "What the _hell _were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that maybe my best friend and superior officer, would hold up their end of the bargain and lend me a place to stay."

"By breaking into my house? What were you trying to prove then, Borodin?"

"I wasn't trying to _break in_, I used the k-"

"I wasn't here, and she didn't know, as far as I'm concerned, it's breaking in. You owe her and my kids an apology."

"They'll get one, Gohan, but for now, can I crash here?" He asked looking at Goku.

"Maybe…what kind of trouble is it this time, Bro?" Gohan inquired, leaning forward a bit.

"I need 3,426 dollars. I need it by Thursday, or she takes the kids away. I don't want to lose Mindy." Borodin answered quietly as he watched Gohan with his son.

"Done. Is that it?"

"Yes." Borodin answered.

Gohan slipped him a check and sighed. "Don't tell Videl. She doesn't need to know. If you tell her, I'll kill you, understand?"

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Sorry about the long wait for an update, I had a really hard time thinking of what to write. Yes, it's not my usual style; I had to dig deep for this one, so it seems immature. I'm really sorry about that, hopefully the next chapter will be better (and not so long of a wait, maybe?) Read and review, thanks! And check out Noryale's work! She updated…a long time ago! XD This chapter seems like it makes no sense, but it will in the next two chapters. They all fit together.


	11. I've Been Watching You

I'm starting a new story (it's actually already finished XD), so if you want, go ahead and read it after I post it. And I fixed my homepage, so if you're interested in checking that out, go ahead and do so as well! Sorry for the long and unnecessary introduction; onto chapter 11 – a very late father's day chapter, be the double you!

**Soldier's Creed**

_Watching You_

_We're just alike, hey ain't we dad? I wanna do everything you do. Cause I've been watching you._

Young feet pattered down the hall, a scraping noise could clearly be heard after the alleged feet. It was nearing six in the morning, and little Pan Son had decided that she was going to make today the best day ever. Why would it be the best day ever; because it was her father's birthday today. Every year before this, he'd put up a fight with the family about doing anything; he never wanted to recognize he was a year older, so Pan hoped she could change his mind. Now that Pan was old enough to help make cookies and such, she'd asked her mother to help put together something for him. The only task now was to wake him up.

Videl was already awake dealing with little Goku, since his routine wasn't worked out yet. She'd come to the tired conclusion that it wasn't going to be worked out in the first week of him being home, and chose to deal with his diapers and food calls whenever they may be. Even enlisting the help of Chichi seemed a bit out of place here, though Chichi clearly wanted to help. Videl knew that Pan planned something for Gohan, but she chose to stay out of the way today, just to see what kind of mess Pan would make.

"Pappa," Pan mumbled as she scampered into the room, dragging a stool behind her. She'd gotten lectured multiple times for flying in the house, so her mother insisted she take a stool with her. Placing the stool safely on the floor, she climbed atop of it and leaned onto the bed. "Pappa, guess what?" He didn't stir. Pan started to feel down on her luck when suddenly he grabbed her into a tight hug.

"Did you need something, princess?" Gohan tickled her on the ribs, knowing she'd give in and tell him anything she had on her mind. The same tactic was often used for Videl when she wouldn't talk. He could tell she was hiding something, she wasn't speaking sensibly. "What have I told you about mumbling, Panny-Chan?"

"Sorry, Pappa." Once she got herself free of his grasp, she climbed off the bed and pulled on his hand. "Pappa, come!"

"Come where?" She was persistent, alright. Deciding she'd undoubtedly had her mother's genes in her; he took the offered hand and followed behind her. It was probably a good thing that Videl woke him up ahead of time and told him that Pan would be in there, or he'd probably have scarred her. "Pan, where are you taking me?"

"Downstairs," She announced triumphantly, still pulling him along. Gohan found it hard not to smile as she pulled him down the steps, since she rarely did such things with him. Today her confidence was stronger; she was excited about whatever she was going to do. "Pappa, look."

Sitting on the table, were his books for work, as well as his assignments already graded and with stickers. Beside the books was a tray of cookies that had been made the night before, when he was out with Goten shopping for a better engagement ring for Valise. There was no doubt that Videl had helped him with this little surprise, Pan was much too young to use the oven, or to understand how to grade his work.

"Why, Pan, you didn't have to. Did mommy help?" Pan nodded eagerly at his words, and he realized then that it wasn't so much that the presentation mattered, it was _who _presented it. Smiling softly, he pulled her into a tight hug. "Are you going to have fun with mommy and aunt Valise while I'm at work?"

Valise was coming over to help Videl finish painting the nursery, so Goku wouldn't be in the pink room anymore. Pan had been upgraded to a bed finally, now that she was too big to fit in the crib. And she was in a bigger room as well, one that stayed amazingly clean during the day, without any prying from parents. Pan smiled up at her father while he gathered his books and papers into a briefcase, smiling to his daughter. "Thank you, Panny-Chan," Gohan ruffled her hair and allowed her to open the door for him. "I'll see you, mommy, and Goku after work ok?" Now that Christmas break was coming up, the hours he worked were much shorter, allowing him time to spend with his family more often.

* * *

Not even an hour after he left, a soft knock was heard at the door. Videl sighed and laid Goku back onto the blanket on the floor, and went to open the door. She didn't have to warn Pan anymore that she had to play nice, after she'd hurt Goku one morning, Gohan had dealt with it. Smiling at the people on the other side, Videl closed the door behind them and let them inside. "Valise, Chichi…good to see you both again. Valise, shouldn't you be in school?"

"No, the doctor told me to take the rest of the week off, since I was still sick. How has painting been going?" Valise asked as she sat, watching the two children play.

"Not very well; Thank you, Chichi, for offering to baby-sit the kids, I'd be lost if I had to keep them in there with us. Chichi, didn't you also say something about coming over for Gohan today?" Videl asked watching Pan with a careful eye. She wasn't sure why Chichi had really come, it was something she'd asked to be sure.

"Well," Chichi began with a small smile. Her blue eyes caught Videl's azure ones as she spoke. "Today is his twenty-fourth birthday. The sixth year he's spent it without his father…so I just wanted to make sure he'd had someone. I know, you and the kids are all he needs, but he still likes to hear from me once in a blue moon. Actually, he called me last night and asked me to come over."

Videl was a little shocked, she'd never heard of him doing this before. Granted, he talked to her often, but to ask her to come over without her knowledge? "Did he say why?"

"No, he just asked me to come over; he wanted to talk to me about something. Why?" She could see the concern in Videl's eyes, but she knew the younger woman wasn't worried. "It's nothing bad, he asked me for help with a friend."

"A friend," Videl scoffed, folding her legs. "If you could call him that; what kind of friend breaks into your own house?"

"That's what he wanted to talk to me about. He said he already talked to you, but you didn't want to hear it. Vi, he's not as bad as you think he is."

"Still, not the kind of friend I'd want to have. At least he's staying at Bulma's now; I'd probably do something tragic if he'd stayed here much longer." Chichi didn't doubt that for a moment, especially since he'd tried to 'help' her with Goku. "And what kind of person tries to tell you how to parent your own kids? I have faults, I know I do, but I don't need him telling me every second of the day that I'm doing it wrong."

"Videl, why don't we go paint the nursery?" Valise offered, knowing it would get her mind on a different topic. "We need to talk anyway."

"Sure, lets go do that, should probably get it done before he gets home." Videl nodded with a smile, hugging Chichi before heading upstairs.

* * *

"Valise, what do you know about this Nick character?" Videl knew that Valise spoke often to Gohan, mostly when he was with Goten, because the two of them were a support system. Valise spoke to him after class oftentimes, when he would vent about things he didn't want to tell Videl. Not for fear of her knowing, but more for the fact that he didn't want to upset her. He knew he'd have to tell her eventually, but it would take some time for him to do it.

"Nick…Nick Borodin?" Valise asked with her usual quiet tone, dipping the paint brush into the bucket and running it along the wall. "Gohan met him overseas, evidently. Nick was a problem case, always doing things that would get him kicked out, something that not many people could relate to. Gohan said that they used to run missions together, often times leading in him saving Nick. Night missions became more often, the super said they worked well together as a team. Gohan protested this for some time, but they wouldn't have it…said something about him having to work with all sorts of people."

Valise paused, dipping the brush into the paint bucket again, and then looked to Videl to see if she was still listening. "Gohan told him about you. He talked about you all the time to this man, bragged about Pan, and showed him the picture of Goku that you sent. He found out later that Nick also had a family. Two daughters, Amanda and Mindy, and a wife named Shelly. Apparently Shelly cheated on him while he was overseas, and filed for a divorce without his knowledge…I can't recall what they call that. Uncontested? When he came home, she gave him the papers and told him that he could sign them and lose his kids, or not sign them and lose his kids. Nick is misunderstood, Gohan says, because he did what he felt best for his children. Almost in the same respect that he would have done. That was the first time Nick got to go home. Later his unit sent him back, saying they needed him for something important. At the time, he didn't want to do it, said he had no reason to do it. Gohan said he found him in his bunk one morning with a gun ready to shoot himself, but Gohan stopped him. He talked him out of suicide, and told him he'd be there if he needed a friend, that he'd do whatever it took to help him get his kids back. Amanda and Mindy are in foster care right now, from what I've heard."

"So he's not a bad person?" Videl asked, slowly pushing the brush down the wall as she listened to Valise speak. Why hadn't Gohan told her? "And how do you explain the 'night mission' deal?"

"That, I wasn't sure if I'm allowed to tell you. I suppose that if you already know, it can't hurt." Valise looked into the paint bucket for a moment before deciding it would be quicker to dump it into a pan and use a roller. As she did that, she carefully spoke, choosing her words. "While he was over there, it got out that Gohan was…special. They figured this out when he took a bullet to the chest, and barely wound up with a scratch, so they gave him a special job. I believe they called it 'guerilla warfare'? He said it's essentially black-ops, but a little less fancy – more hand to hand combat, less guns. Nick also got put on this team, because his sniping skills were beyond anyone else's'. Every so often they will send them out on special missions, whether it is here, or overseas. Gohan told me that he didn't want to tell you because if it got out that you knew…your whole family would be put at risk. So don't say anything, even if you have to, ok?"

"Of course I wouldn't…but those late nights at the school, he was really at the base?" Videl was slightly confused, wondering what Valise was talking about. "And this Nick character can be trusted?"

"I didn't say he could be trusted, but he's not a terrible person either. How would you react if you lost your children to foster care?" Valise finished painting the side of the wall, looking over at Videl again. She could see that the older woman was fighting off tears. "Videl, Gohan loves you, he's looking out for your protection. You have to understand that the knowledge he has could put him in severe danger. You and the kids wouldn't even have a chance."

"So why did he tell you?" Videl asked, not intentionally snapping on her. "Why did he tell you before he told me?"

"He didn't tell me," Valise admitted softly, looking to the floor, setting the roller into the paint bucket. "I overheard him telling Goten. And even if he told me, you would have been the first to know. He loves you, Videl. Don't let this news change that."

* * *

Pan sat on the edge of the blanket staring carefully at her brother. Goku watched her back, his eyes not moving. The two of them continued like this for quite some time, when finally Pan picked up his teddy and offered it to him. Goku cooed and looked at the bear. His reflexes weren't quite strong enough to hold it, so he appreciated it being near him at least. Pan smiled softly and looked around for other toys to give him. Videl had scattered toys all over the blanket, but Goku's hands weren't nearly strong enough to play with any of them. Pan took it upon herself to pick up a toy and hold it up for him, so he could listen to the music it played.

Pan could see her father walking by the windows outside, she was excited that he was home, but more excited for the gift they 'got' him. She was eager to show him, but she also knew her mother would be upset if she wasn't there, so she kept her eyes closed, and lay on the blanket as if she were sleeping.

"Well would you look at that? All three of them are asleep." He smiled and ruffled Pan's hair, kneeling beside her on the floor. "You can't fool me, kiddo." He knew that Goku was genuinely asleep, it was all he really did, and Chichi he was sure of as well, but he'd seen Pan playing not too long ago.

Gently picking up Goku into his arms, he cradled him a bit, smiling softly down at him. Goku was small, almost too small for his age. There was no doubt in his mind that he would be like Goten, small and wiry, but able to hold his own. Looking over at Pan he smiled a bit wider, she already could hold her own in battle, and was more than able to prove people wrong. He'd gotten blessed with quite an odd family, but in the same respect he knew that he wouldn't have traded them for a thing in the world.

Carrying Goku in his arms still, he went upstairs to the nursery. It had been a few hours; it seemed dry, so he didn't mind putting Goku into the crib. It was better than having him on the floor downstairs where he could be stepped on by an unsuspecting bystander. Gently covering him in the blanket, he placed the bear next to him, and leaned over to kiss his forehead. "G'night, kiddo. I'll see you in an hour."

"He's asleep already?"

"Yeah, he's out like a-" Gohan paused, his sentence cut short as he realized who the voice belonged to. Standing slowly, he looked at the boy in the crib hoping it wasn't him who'd said it. When he felt a strong hand on his shoulder, he knew there was no way he was dreaming. "D-Dad?"

"How is little Goku doing? I haven't seen him in weeks." Goku said looking at his namesake in the crib. Gohan was still obviously in shock, unsure of what to say.

"Weeks?" Gohan asked, at a loss for words. "What do you mean by _weeks_?"

"Oh, didn't Videl tell you? I was there the night that little Goku was born, well, not really there...more like visiting. He was so small that day – at least he got a little bit bigger in the time I've been away."

Gohan was still unsure of what to say, he wanted to say something, but nothing really came to him. Finally, after some thought, and a long silence, he spoke again. "You were there? You were really, _really_ there?"

"Of course! I wouldn't have missed a moment like that for the world! Videl also was pretty brave to do what she did. Got to admire that woman." Goku answered, watching his son's shock slowly turn to dismay.

"Are you really here right now? In person? Or are you just a ghost?" Gohan inquired as he still hadn't turned around. He was afraid of what might meet his eyes, so he stayed still, watching his son sleep.

"In the flesh. It was Pan's idea, really. Your mother helped to put it together. Bulma executed." He smiled and removed his hand from his son's shoulder, wondering why he was so caught up in watching little Goku sleep. Goku realized at that moment that he would often do the same thing, watch Gohan sleep. "Seems unreal, doesn't it? Just two weeks ago you were ready to be a father again, and now it seems like you've always been one…for an entire lifetime."

"He's so small; I can't believe that tiny thing is going to grow up to be like Pan. She grew up over night, when I left she could barely talk; now she's on her way to sentences! Goku…he'll probably be walking, talking, fighting…all before I get back. I don't want to go back."

"Sometimes things like this happen; you can't really avoid them, its life. If you could avoid life, you wouldn't really be living, would you?" Goku leaned on the crib beside him, staring down at his grandson in awe. "He looks just like you did…only he's got Videl's eyes."

"I know…mom said the same thing when he was born." Gohan still hadn't turned around, nor had he taken the time to look at him. He was going out of his way to avoid seeing his father's face. "Despite him being weak now, he's going to be a strong child later. I know he will. And he's going to prove me wrong every chance he gets…just because he can."

"Just because you did," Goku responded, looking over at Gohan. For the first time in a while, he noticed that he was unhappy; probably scared as well. He couldn't blame him, he was caught up in things he didn't need. Absently Goku wondered if Videl ever noticed this change, if she was aware of him becoming more and more distant. "Don't be like me, Gohan."

"What do you mean?" He asked, turning to face him finally.

"Don't leave them behind." Goku answered, studying his son's features.

"I wasn't going to…I'm not going anywhere." Gohan defended, wondering what his father could possibly be talking about.

"Are you? Are you going to always be here?" Goku waited for an answer, but was met with silence. "Look at yourself, you're changing. This war is changing you. And you're letting it. You're letting them pull you deeper into the darkness, and at that point, no one will be able to bring you back. Not even your family. You're becoming what you hate the most, Gohan…you're becoming your own enemy."

"What do you mean by that? I'm not an enemy!"

"Gohan, look at yourself, listen to what you're saying. Videl won't leave you; you have the satisfaction of knowing that, but look at how you've been treating her? Two months with no word from you, late night runs that she isn't aware of, a job 'upgrade' that you didn't even tell her about…you're changing into the person you hated the most. Gohan, you're becoming me."

"No," Gohan answered slowly, deliberately. "If I was becoming you, I'd be a hero. I'd have saved some lives. But I haven't, have I? I've only taken them away. I've been taking away families; taking apart brothers, husband and wives, sons and mothers…I can't be a hero when I'm always taking family away." Gohan mumbled quietly, folding his arms as he leaned on the crib watching Goku again. "And it's only a matter of time before someone takes me away from them."

"You may be taking away lives, but that doesn't make you a murderer. Gohan, no one chooses their destiny, it's given. It's hard for you to be in the opposite situation, to see innocent people dragged into things they don't belong in…but you have seen it, and you have dealt with it before. The scale is higher, the people are greater, but you're still a savior. Gohan, think of it this way, had you not been out there doing what you were doing, you would have lost a friend. You could have lost your family, and you would have lost your son, right?"

"How would I have lost my son?" Gohan asked, brushing a hand gently along little Goku's cheek.

"Videl would have never had him, would she? Either she would have, and she would have miscarried, or she never would have gotten pregnant in the first place. Goku would have never existed. Your friend Nick, he would have died. Goten and Valise, they would have never gotten so close, he would have never seen what she really was. Cause and effect, chain of events. Gohan, you're going to be forced to do things you don't want to do, it doesn't mean you can avoid them." Goku whispered as he watched little Goku sleeping. "Your family cares about you; the support system here is greater than anything you'll ever see. You have to let them help you…not just Goten and Valise, either. Everyone."

"Where were you a month ago?" Gohan asked, brushing away the tears that were forming in his eyes.

Goku watched him, wondering what he was talking about. "What do you mean?"

"Where were you when Chris Harvard died?" Gohan turned to him, trying hard not to do anything stupid, not with his son there. "We were in the same unit, the same company, everything. Harvard talked to me every day, told me that I'd come home to my family in one piece. He had a child, dad…a little boy named Logan. He and I were in the same place at the same time, but he died. How do you think Logan felt? What do you think would happen if it happened to me? If Videl or Pan heard that I died? What would they do?"

"You're here for a reason, Gohan. Whether you want to see it or not, you're still here for a reason. Either it's to help Nick…to raise little Goku…to see Valise and Goten get married…you're _here _for a _reason_."

"What's that reason? To kill? Seems like it's all I'll ever be good at."

"Let me ask you, how many people have you killed?" Goku inquired, looking toward the door, where Videl stood watching them.

"Twelve," Gohan answered, staring at his son again. He wondered how he'd react to him being a killer. "Twelve people have died by my hand."

"And in that time, how many have you saved, with your bare hands?"

"Nineteen." Gohan answered, wondering what his father was getting at. "Why? What does it matter?"

"You've saved more than you've killed, so why do you hate yourself so much?" Goku was worried for his son; this new frame of mind wasn't one that was healthy.

"Because…what if Videl knew? What if Pan found out what I really was? They'd never be able to look at me again; I'd be a horrible person." He could hear his father whisper something, but he couldn't quite make out what it was. "They would hate me; they'd look at me like a killer."

"Is that true? Is that really how your family would feel?" Goku asked, nodding to Videl so she could come in. "Gohan, do you actually talk to your family about things, or do you keep it inside until you snap?"

"I…don't talk to them. I don't feel like she could handle it."

"She already knows, Gohan. Videl knows all about what you do, and she's still here. In fact, she's waiting for you to talk to her about it, to tell her what's wrong." He paused and smiled to his daughter-in-law, taking a few steps back. "She's waiting for you to talk to her about what you do, instead of hearing it second-hand."

Wrapping her arms around his neck from behind, Videl lay her head on his shoulder and smiled a bit. "I love you, Gohan. No matter whom you are, what you do…I will always love you, and I will always be by your side. Even if it means walking through fire…I'd still be here with you. Look at what we've done together? You have two beautiful, wonderful children, a brother who knows what he's doing, and a mother who couldn't be more proud. Gohan, no one here hates you…"

"I know," He said, holding onto her hand softly. "I just worry about what you'd say. How would Pan react? Not now, of course, but later in life. Goku for that matter, how would he react? Videl, I worry that I'm doing the wrong thing. No one ever makes me feel like I'm doing the right thing. The media makes it sound so negative, and the people there are always so negative…"

"You're twenty-four today." Videl whispered in his ear. "You have a beautiful daughter, a wonderful son, and knowledge to help everyone you meet. This war…this will pass. Your life is always going to be here; we'll always be here. Don't let the distance be what kills us, Gohan. Don't let us lose you." She wrapped her arms a bit tighter, hoping he'd understand.

"Today is my birthday?" He asked as he quietly let go of her arm, looking to his father again. "Is that why you came back? Because it was my birthday?"

Goku nodded and smiled, holding out his hand to his son. Much to his own dismay, Gohan didn't shake his hand, he gave him a hug. "Videl said she wanted it to be special. You've gone six years without me there. No need for a seventh. And I get to meet Valise finally! That's going to be awesome!"

"Yeah," Gohan smiled. "That's going to be awesome." Goku had returned for a day or so, only because he'd been promised, so he had met Pan before. But due to other things being in the way, he hadn't been able to spend any time with his family.

* * *

"Dad," Gohan asked, looking over at Videl making macaroni art with Pan. "I have to go to a funeral today…mind tagging along? He always said he wanted to meet you, I guess this is as close as it gets."

"Is this for Christopher?" Goku asked, leaning over Pan's shoulder to steal macaroni and put it in a different place on the paper. Videl snickered when she realized that the shape he was making looked uncannily like Buu. "Alright, I'll go. Do you think they should come?"

"I—Videl? Do you want to go with?" He could see she was thinking about it, trying to decide if it was ok for Pan to go. "We'll have to bring Little Goku, too…if that's alright."

"I can do that, he should be quiet, he sleeps an awful lot." Videl nodded, looking at Pan with a small smile. "Alright, Sweetie. Finish up your art and we'll go get ready for this."

It took all of about three hours to get there. Two hours were contributed to Gohan having to fix his tie, Pan having to change her shirt, and little Goku getting sick on both of them. The last hour was all driving time, with a whiny Pan and a crying Goku. Videl was sure that if she had doubts in her mind about her daughter's sanity, they were gone now.

"Pan," Gohan knelt beside his daughter and placed his hands on her shoulders gently. "You have to be on your best behavior, this is a friend of mine, so I don't want you to make noise and upset everyone. Is that alright?"

"Yes, Pappa." Pan nodded in understanding, knowing this was a very tough thing for her father to do. Following close behind Gohan was Videl, carrying little Goku. Goku on the other hand, had Pan's small hand in his.

Sliding into the pew, Videl smiled at Gohan, placing her hand in his. This was indeed a hard thing for him to do, and she was more than aware of the situation. It was a cruel thing for her to even think, but she was glad it wasn't her husband. People spoke with anticipating murmurs, waiting for something to happen, but no one would speak. Finally, the priest stood at the podium, conducting the ceremony.

It wasn't long before little Goku began to cry, forcing people to look at Videl with a glare. She calmed him down, but not for long. Gohan took the infant from her, gently rocking him. He was dazed, zoned out, staring at the priest. She wasn't even sure he could hear himself think anymore. Her husband was lost again, worrying about some thing or another.

"Christopher Harvard was a wonderful man," Elsie began speaking, her raspy voice faltering. "For the few unaware, he was my husband for three years. We were always having difficulties with our marriage, the bills were the worst. He always found a way to pay them…but he lost his job eventually. He told me he was going to join the military, and solve all our problems. I suppose he did in a sense, but not without losing his own life." Elsie took a deep breath, staring into the eyes of everyone in the congregation. "He left behind his little boy, Logan, for a war that he didn't want to be a part of. Several of you here today are soldiers from his unit; I thank all of you for coming. He would have been proud to see you all here. He spoke very highly of some of you, others, not so much, but he always told me he'd give his life for most of you…and he did."

"Christopher wrote me a letter a month before he died. It was about a young recruit he'd met. This man was drafted, and he seemed hopeless. Christopher said that this man just couldn't grasp the concept of war. He was a nice man, one with a family…Chris felt for him, and like he should help him…he did. I was told, by three people, that Chris was supposed to stay on base, this soldier was supposed to go to the shelter. Both of them ended up going, but only Chris died. They said it was an act of God, a miracle this man was around, because Christopher was alive long enough to tell the soldier something." She nodded toward Gohan, and then smiled a bit, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Gohan took the podium, looking out into the room quietly. "Harvard gave me a lot of advice in the few months I was with him. He said _if you love someone, hold onto them_, and _don't reach for the stars, take them from the sky_. But all of his advice seems for naught now. He gave in when I gave up, refused to let me let go. He sat by my side and helped me write my letters to my daughter, knowing I couldn't do it alone. He helped me to learn that best friends come from the unlikeliest of allies, and that people will always betray you…you just need to decide whose worth crying over. He told me a lot of things, taught me everything I know about war, and kept me sane when I wanted to do stupid things. He was, for all intents and purposes, a true hero." Gohan paused, wiping his eyes as he smiled to his wife. Videl offered a small smile back, learning something new about him each time he spoke. "I would like…to share a story, if it's ok."

"_Son, how long have you been here?" Harvard asked, tossing down his gear onto the dusty floor of the tent. The man looked older and wiser now, his hair a slight shade of white, mostly from the dust in the sand._

"_About five months, why?" Gohan peered at the man, curious as to what he was going to say now. _

"_Your woman back home's about ready to deliver, huh?" Harvard smiled a little and looked at Gohan, gauging his reaction. Gohan nodded and waited for Harv to continue. "My squad gets leave on the 23__rd__ of November to the 3__rd__ of January. Yours gets leave from the 20__th__ of December to the 12__th__ of January. If I pull some strings with the C/O, you might be able to trade with me."_

"_No, no, it's fine." Gohan murmured, putting down the pen and paper he was working with. It was a letter he was writing for Videl, but it never would get sent. "Besides, Videl's not going to deliver until December, so I've got plenty of time."_

"_It rarely works that way, kid. For all you know, she could deliver tomorrow, or tonight. You'd never know. You should go back…at least with my time, you'll be able to cover all ground – if she goes early, or late. You said he due date is what?"  
_

"_December seventeenth." Gohan responded as he looked at the letter again. Her last letter had the picture of the ultrasound, he'd put it in his wallet with the picture of Pan. "It's my second child, it doesn't matter much."_

"_You missed our first child's birth, why miss the second?" Harv had a point, and Gohan knew it, but he wasn't about to take the offer. What if Elsie found out that's why he never came home for the holidays?_

"_Your loss; but I'm trying to help you."_

"About four hours later, we got sent on a mission to the outskirts of the city. There was an orphanage there; one of the natives was holding a soldier hostage. It was an easy mission, he'd said. In out, no shots fired. Somehow I was aware of the situation before it happened, but I didn't do anything. Harv told me he'd take the south wing if I got north…we both passed it like nothing. There were no children there, not even a man or a soldier, it was a trap. By the time we realized it, the bomb had already detonated, bringing the clay building down all around us. When I got to Harv, he was stuck under a beam, fighting for his life, for air. I couldn't lift it off of him, and even if I could, his ribs were shattered." Gohan frowned, looking to his father. "I remembered my dad telling me once that adrenaline will make anything possible, so I got the beam as far as I could, give Harv some time to speak at least. He told me this: _life is short, so take every chance you get. Had it been you here, had it been you, you would have been the one who died. You would have gone without seeing your son or your daughter again. It hurts, I've done it, but you move on. You realize life has disappointments, and you can't stop all of them. Sometimes you give in, sometimes you walk on. I can't walk away from this, and if I survive, I won't ever walk again…but I'll have the knowledge of knowing that I saved another life._"

* * *

"He was a great man," Gohan muttered staring at Elsie with a small smile. "He gave me a lot of reasons to be overseas, even when I couldn't think of a single one. Harv also told me he was sorry for how he treated you. For taking away so much of your life. I don't know what he meant, but he said he was sorry." He turned to see Pan and Logan playing around at the back of the church. "Elsie, I'd like you to meet someone."

"This is my wife, Videl." Gohan said, smiling, as the women shook hands. "Pan's over there, with your son, and this is Goku…presumably Junior. At the time we named him, my father wasn't part of my life, so we had to change it to Junior." Gohan looked behind him at his father, whom was standing tall and quiet. "And this is Goku's namesake…my father."

"Goku," Elsie murmured, blinking as she looked at him. "I know you!"

"You do?" Goku asked, scratching his head.

"I'm Elsie…Elsie McMahon…I was seventeen years old when you fought in the world martial art's tournament against Vegeta." She paused and looked at Gohan, then Videl. "Oh wow! That means you're Mr. Satan's daughter…and you…you're the Saiyaman…"

"I..." Videl nodded, laying a hand on Gohan's shoulder as Elsie spoke. "Our family is quite unique, I'm sure that's evident."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Elsie admitted, looking to Gohan with a nod. "I know you could have handled yourself out there, so thank you for helping Harv…for as little as you did. I would have died knowing he didn't get to say anything to us…you are a true hero."

"Thank you…you're younger than me…" Gohan admitted softly, looking at her blonde locks that reached her shoulders. "Seventeen…I was eighteen."

"That makes you twenty-three or twenty-four, right?"

"Twenty-Four…my birthday was today." Elsie got quiet, so Gohan continued. "But it's ok…I have a new reason to hate my birthday now."

* * *

**I know it's** rushed and long and whatever. I'm trying to get it back, but it's hard. Elsie, Nick, Valise, and Goten make an appearance next chapter. Does anyone want Chichi, Trunks, or Bulma to come into this at all? Vote when you review and I'll see what I can do. Now that the funeral is out of the way, I'll work on some father/daughter, father/son moments.


	12. Monster

**AN: **Sorry for the long wait, I got really sidetracked with my classes. Going full time now has me pretty busy for time. I'll continue writing this, and finish eventually, but until then just stay patient with me. =)

**Soldier's Creed**

Monster

_Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want._

Christmas was always a hectic holiday for the Son family, mostly because of all the things it entailed. People that no one really wanted to see, family events, decorating – and Pan's favorite part- cookies. The year had gone progressively well, and the family had more than one thing to be excited about, including little Goku's arrival. The little family of four was slowly adjusting to the new member when life changed again. Gohan had to go back soon, and neither of the adults was really sure if Pan could handle that kind of trauma again. Though they had mentally prepared her for it, and seemed to have gotten through to her, it was still hard for her to accept that her father was leaving…_again._

Leaning on the doorway to the green nursery, Videl watched Gohan stare at his son as he slept. "Did he go down easy?" She asked with a small smile, using her foot to push herself off the door and walk over to him. "He doesn't usually sleep well…not for me anyway."

"He sleeps fine for me," Gohan responded watching her as she moved over to him. His green eyes focused on her blue orbs and noticed she had been in a better mood. For the first time since he'd been home, she was happy again. It was an odd feeling for him to know she was smiling, especially to know that he was the reason she was.

"Gohan, do you have to go back?" She already knew the answer, but it seemed definite when he said it. She had to hear him say it to be sure. He murmured a quiet yes, and then went back to stroking Goku's hair. "But you will come home, right?"

"I can almost assure you of that," he wasn't thinking about his words, something he had said made the smile fade.

"_Almost_? What do you mean by that?" Videl didn't get offended easy, but what he had said piqued an interest in her. What did he mean by almost? Did he see something he shouldn't have seen? Absently, she wrapped her arms around his hips and laid her head on his chest. Hearing his heartbeat was reassuring enough for her. Now she was positive he was alive and with her.

"Other things come up. People get in the way. It's like a wheel going downhill, nothing can stop it but whatever is at the bottom. Otherwise, it keeps rolling." He looked at his wife to see her puzzled expression. Smiling softly he turned to face her. "I think the easiest way of saying it is that every time I get close to you…coming home to you…something else comes up that needs my attention. Yes, you should be my life. Yes, I care about you and the kids very much. And yes, I do want to come home…but people out there need me. I hate to put it this way, and you know it kills me to do, but they may need me more than you and the kids do."

"You could easily end it and come home," Videl quietly whispered, looking at their son as he slept. Something had changed, something she couldn't quite explain…she wasn't so upset about him leaving anymore. He was passionate about what he was doing; she wasn't about to stop him from doing it. "But…if those people need you, then you need to do what you can to help them. But promise me…_promise me_…that you'll come home…in one piece."

He smiled a little, closing his eyes when he laid his head against hers. "I'll be coming home. I don't know when, but I will be home." Silence surrounded the room; he knew very well that he couldn't make that promise. Not with everything that was currently happening over there. He did it to make her feel safe, god knows, she's not invincible. But he had to say something, and it was all that he could think of.

Videl noticed he was quieter, his eyes closed. She didn't know what else to say, what else could she say? Brushing back his rebel hair, she took a step back and smiled softly at him. "It will be okay, we understand completely. Well, maybe not Pan and Goku, but I do…and I don't mind what you do." It killed her to say that, almost hurt her, but it had to be said. He needed to hear that she was on his side, or as she knew, he would feel worthless. He already felt like he was doing the wrong thing, like what he was doing was completely in vain.

He looked at her, his smile gone. "Where's Nick?"

"Nick?" Videl seemed confused; his extremes went from one to the other, as if he had been fighting off this depression the whole time. "He's in court, trying to get his daughters back…why?"

"No…not that Nick. Nick Borodin." Gohan answered, looking at Videl. He couldn't see her; to him it was a woman they had worked with. Alyssa was her name; the only female in the troop. "I'm not in the mood to play games, Alyssa. Where's Nick?"

"I told you…" She got quiet, listening to him speak. Alyssa? How could he not know her name? She closed her eyes again, wondering if he was joking, or serious. She had heard of soldiers having flashbacks, often getting violent, but he didn't seem to be violent at all. "I don't know."

"Why don't you know? You're supposed to be accountable for your troops, at all costs. That's why you're a leader and not a follower." He looked up, startled. "Nick can't be here; he's dead. You should know that…"

_Gohan stood in the hot sand, listening to the units around him. He'd been promoted, mostly in part to his unit being picked off in a fire fight. Now he was stuck with a batch of new recruits, some of which he'd never even seen before, some were recycled from last unit. One in particular had caught his attention; Nick Borodin. He'd been through hell and high water, choosing back to back tours because his wife left him and he needed the money to get the kids back. Gohan knew as well as anyone that the military garnished your wage if you had children back home…worse if you were divorced._

_Pacing around in the dark copper colored sand, he did an about face to turn to his squad. "We are the elite," Gohan directed, looking towards the men. "You're all here for different reasons…some noble, some not…some of you were dragged here for no reason. We all have our reasons to fight…we all had our reasons to stay alive. I will do everything in my power to keep you alive, when I can't be there, someone will. You will never go into a firefight alone."_

_One of the men in particular, a new recruit, passed out in the heat. It didn't take long for the others to realize that they were supposed to leave him there. "Sir," Borodin checked his ranks, making sure he was indeed a 'sir'. "What exactly are we being chosen for?"_

"_You have all been chosen for different reasons. You were the top of your class in basic, top of your class in AIT. You're all exceptional in your field, and we plan on using it to our advantage." He stopped pacing and turned to them, a swift movement of his heel. "Welcome, To the Rangers."_

_It didn't take long for the unit to get into shape, to know what they were supposed to do and when to do it. When he was positive that they could handle anything, Gohan prepared them for their first field test. The mission was easy enough; they were to go into a secure facility and free two hostage soldiers. It shouldn't take more than three hours, at most. Or that's what they thought._

_Low crawling through the air vents, one of the men watched as people paced around in the room housing the hostages. It was supposed to be an in and out deal, that's what they had promised, but it rarely worked that way. "Captain, we've got a small problem. There's more than two here…they've got one of 'em rigged. We got a bomb tech?"_

"_I don't think so," Came Gohan's response. He quietly observed the room from binoculars and a window, keeping an eye on the situation. He couldn't go in yet; not until he knew for sure that it was safe for everyone. "Don't worry about the rig; we'll deal with it later. For now, take out the guards. I'll deal with the explosive."_

"_Captain, isn't that reckless? I mean, you have a family to worry about."The man in the vents murmured into the walkie talkie._

_Gohan mulled the thought over in his head for a moment. What actually was reckless these days? He needed to get those men out of there and he needed to do it as safely as possible. "I'm sure he has a wife and kids waiting for him as well, so it's either me or him. Tango Charlie this is Eagle come in." Gohan called into the radio._

_"Tango Charlie, Eagle standing by."_

_"What is the position of the north east guard?" Gohan's words were calm, he knew he had to give off an air of confidence or his troops would fall at his hand. "We need eyes in there."_

_"Still locked up in the lavatory." The lead of the two men who was stationed outside against a ridge posed with sniper rifles watching the other side of the camp replies. _

_"When he moves radio, Eagle out." Gohan breathed in a breath looking through the binoculars again zooming in on the window. This could get reckless really fast, and he couldn't allow anyone to die on his watch._

_"All units, it's a go, go, go..." He ordered knowing Tango Charlie would stay put as commanded and the rest of the team would move in._

_Team Omega and team Delta headed in through the east and west quadrants slipped into the place leaving no trail behind; guns drawn and gear ready the push the doors open slowly. One by one the guards were taken down quickly and silently then moved out of sight. Tango Alpha slipped in through the south while Nick, the man in the vent shaft, lowered himself into the room while the guards back was turned. A quick few rounds to the back and all guard except the one in the lavatory were taken out._

_"Area secure." Nick alerted Gohan as he came down from his slope in the sand and stalked closer to the building. There were still others in the area who he didn't want drawn to this situation. Opening the door he walked in and went straight to the room where the hostages were being held._

_"You and you guard the front door. See anyone, anyone at all you radio back to me before taking any action." The rigid command came from a man whom had seen more death in a lifetime than any of them. "And keep it efficient! We don't want a mess of this."_

_"Yes sir!" The Alpha team went and took position. _

_Gohan looks around seeing how many men were there and shook his head. "This isn't what Intel told us. Something isn't right." He set his gun down cautiously and inspected the bomb from a close range. "No visible trip wire..." He reached out to touch it and take a closer look._

_"Sir, is that wise?" Nick asked, kneeling next to him, watching him work quickly and efficiently._

_"No but if you have any better ideas...." More or less he was telling the men to stand down and just let him take care of this. "Start removing the remaining hostages I'll see what can be done here." He looked at the frightened soldier who didn't look any more then 19 at the most. "Easy son, we'll get you out of here in no time." Glancing at his watch he saw that it was dawning on the three hour mark. This was going to take longer than planned. Nearly ten minutes and the second shift of guards would be arriving, heavily armed and prepared for a stay at night._

_All the hostages save for one were removed from the compound leaving Gohan, Nick and one other ranger there to ensure all got out safely._

_"Eagle, Eagle come in!"_

_Grumbling trying to focus on the task at hand of removing the bomb, Gohan answered. "Eagle here, what it is now?"_

_"The last guard never came out of the lavatory. We moved in and found a secret hatch, sir we've been had..." Gun fire started to rip through the area in response to their own assault to defend their leader who was still inside._

_"All teams pull back to safety zone, PULL BACK!" His orders were quick and sharp, almost desperate. He was not willing to risk losing any members of his team. "We have to hurry, Borodin...Borodin!"_

_"Yes captain?" Nick replies listening and watching the guards drawing near._

_"How many?" Gohan was sure the answer would be what he didn't want to hear. He was positive he would make it alive, but his mission required keeping _them _alive._

_"At least a dozen sir, we are heavily outnumbered we need to move now." Nick's voice was shaking. Sure, he signed on to die for his country, but he didn't expect to die so soon or so young. What would his daughters think if they knew what happened to him?_

_"Damn it; Just five more minutes, that's all I need, five more minutes." Came Gohan's desperate reply to the younger soldier._

_"Sir we don't have five more minutes." The other ranger spoke pulling open the window and aiming his gun out, ready to fire if need be. Gohan continued his work drilling a small hold through the collar around the man's neck. There was a dead man's switch on it; a typical pipe rigged neck bomb. If it was removed without disarming the dead-mans switch the thing would explode killing all near it. He had to act fast. The heat of the area and the pressure had filled the room. A pin could be heard dropped as Gohan's heart pounded in his ears. He wipes the sweat from his brow as he grabs a small pair of wire cutters and slips them through the hole. Now his main problem was it red or green. "I trust the old red white and blue, no one breathe..."_

_He speaks in a hushed whisper as his eyes closed tightly and cut the green wire. _

_Nothing happened and he could feel the pressure in the room ease slightly. Things were starting to look up; he'd disarmed the bomb, but there were still men pouring in closer to them._

_"Alright let's move..."_

_The other ranger picked up the injured soldier and carried him over his shoulder; Gohan and Nick stayed behind for a moment to make sure they got out safely. _

_"Bravo come in..." Gohan's words were harsh, disbelieving._

_"Bravo here..."_

_"The birds are leaving the nest give them cover fire if need be." The mission quickly went downhill; the hostages were gone, running through fire to get back to the rendezvous._

_"Yes sir."_

_"Alright Borodin, time we set the charge and get the hell out of here..." As both men turned to leave, something tinkled across the floor. Both men paused, their eyes wide, before either could react the explosion shook through the compound._

_Hearing a loud ringing in his ears Gohan opened his eyes rolling onto his back. Dust fell all around him. He couldn't hear much and even more so was dizzy as ever. He crawled over onto his side and staggered to his feet looking around. "Borodin!" He hollers for his fallen Ranger. He couldn't see him just debris. Where he had last seen him by his side at least two feet away all he could see now was a little blood and a bit of his gun the man's helmet seemed to be all that was left. The debris covered the rest of the room. Gohan didn't want to leave any man behind fallen or not but his mind was brought back to the task at hand when he heard a voice over the radio._

_"Captain! We are taking on too much fire, we need to go now!!!"_

_Grabbing the radio, Gohan give one last look and grabbed the helmet leaving the partially blown up compound and presumed body behind. He took off out of the rubble and up the sand hills nearly falling a few times but managed to make it through. The dust and wind had given him all the cover he needed to sneak in behind his team. Firing his way through a few enemy soldiers, he made his own path through. The helicopters could be heard coming into range behind them to evacuate them to safety._

_"Where is Borodin!?" A frantic soldier asked, looking behind their captain for the fallen comrade._

_"Fell behind, get these men moving!" He commanded, ignoring the men around him. How could he call himself a captain if his men died on his command?_

_"Sir you are injured."_

_"I gave you an order! Evacuate now!" As the men gathered their gear and rescued soldiers Gohan looked back at the rubble and nearly collapsed on the ground the pain in his heart more strong than the pain of his sever injuries right now._

Videl wasn't sure how to react. He'd zoned out, started speaking quietly and roughly. It wasn't a side of him she'd seen before. Even with the knowledge of his brother dying in the fight with Buu, she'd never seen this type of reaction from him. She hesitated a moment, reaching a hand out to touch his shoulder, but he pulled away, his breathing hard and fast. "Gohan?"

He didn't speak or move for a moment, just hung his head in shame, wondering where the time had gone. Who was calling for him? "Vi?"

"Gohan…what just happened?" She asked calmly, reaching her hand down to take his. She interlaced her fingers with his, laying her forehead against his chest. She had been told once _the bravest thing you can do is say you love them, _and that's what she did. She held him close, brushing a hand through his hair to try and calm him down. "I love you…you know that."

Gohan wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes tightly as he listened to her speak. He loved her, more than any words could ever say. That was more than he could ever imagine, even if he tried. "Vi, I didn't mean to keep secrets from you…some things aren't meant to be told. Some things…I just can't tell you." Quietly ushering her from the nursery, he turned to make sure Goku was still asleep, then closed the door behind them.

"Why? Why do you need to keep secrets? I saw you die." She casually whispered, closing her eyes tightly. "I've seen you been beaten to your last breath, and you think I can't handle what you've seen? Hell, _I've _died!"

"It's different," he answered, biting his lip slightly. How could he tell her that he lead his men into an ambush? How could he ever say that?

"How is it different? How am I any different than one of your men?" She asked, her eyes pleading to get an answer of any type from him. A smile, something, anything.

"The information I have…can put you and the kids in danger. That's how." He turned on his heel, efficiently walking away from her. How could he say something like that to her? How could he have told her that and not hurt her?

Quietly turning away, Videl watched him leave, wondering if he would ever be the same again. War changed people, she knew that, but how could he change? She loved him so much, regardless of who he was or what he did. Now she was at a crossroad, confused and depressed. Was he ever going to tell her his secrets?

* * *

"Videl? You down here?" She could hear Chichi chirping from the stairs, her voice was getting a little less shrill in her old age, something that Videl was hopeful for. She could hear Goku upstairs crying, but the younger woman wasn't in any type of hurry to get him. He cried ever since Gohan left; where he went, she didn't know. There were several places he would go when he left, either the school, or to his parent's. But since Chichi was here, he was probably not at his parent's.

"I'm down here," Videl murmured closing her laptop and looking ahead of her with a small smile when Chichi came down. The younger woman observed her movements, wondering if Chichi was aware of her son keeping secrets. She wondered if she was aware that Gohan wasn't himself lately. "Do you know where Gohan went?"

Chichi suddenly got very quiet, looking between Videl and the doorway. Reaching a hand up, she pointed to the person in the doorway. He stood tall and proud, his mossy green uniform in pristine condition. The ranks were shined bright, and everything in its place. It almost looked like someone else, if she hadn't recognized that famous Son smile. "Videl," Gohan quietly asked. "Would you like me to show you something?"

Videl was speechless, curious where this was going. Show her something? Show her what? She closed her laptop and nodded. He was serious, so her smile had faded. He waited for her to come over and join him, but she didn't take his hand right away. After a few moments of silence between the two of them, Videl reached over and took his hand. "What is it?"

"I think it's time I came clean with you. I'll be going back in a few weeks, and I wanted you to know the truth." He led her into the hallway, sitting her on the steps so he could talk with her uninterrupted. Pan would be home from visiting Bra soon, and Goku was still whining upstairs, but he knew his mother would take care of it. "I should start with the letter. I know you were expecting me to write back, but at the time something came up. I never got to send it back to you. The letter you had written me got destroyed when someone decided to burn our camp down. Everything I didn't have with me got ruined." He sighed; glad he carried his wallet with him that night.

"The pictures?" Videl asked, caressing his hand softly.

"All of them were in my wallet." He got quiet. "I held onto one letter. The one you sent me back in September. I held onto it all the time because it was also written by Pan. Remember? I held onto that one no matter where I went." He sighed and looked over at his wife quietly, wondering why she got quiet. "I owed Nick a lot," He murmured with a silent admiration towards the man. "I know Nick wasn't the best person in the world, but he tried and that was all that mattered. We started off as the same rank, in the same team, for the same reasons. I had the ability to withstand heavy fire, and he had the ability to shoot without looking and hit his target. We made a dangerous team. We had a rescue mission go bad," He closed his eyes, trying to bring back the memory. The one time he wanted to remember, he always forgot. "He got injured severely and taken in by an enemy camp on the outskirts of ours. Probably the same night ours got burned down. No one knew he was alive until on the battlefield, I came face to face with him…well, face to barrel with him. He was going to shoot; he told me later that he didn't because he knew I was the only person in the world that held hope for him. Even when he felt hopeless, I knew there was hope for him." He got quiet, shifting positions a bit to see if she was still paying attention.

"So Nick can be trusted?" Videl asked softly.

"Nick never meant to harm you that night he came here. He came looking for me, and I wasn't here. I didn't know he was going to break in. I thought he would have used a door, like normal people. When you're over there so long though, you learn second behavior…it becomes second nature, and by then it's hard to reverse. Vi, he wouldn't have hurt you or the children." Smiling a bit, he brushed her hair from her eyes and kissed her forehead. "As for the promotion, that happened before I ever wound up in Nick's platoon. I told you about Harvard, right? That night, because of what they found out about me, how I could withstand heavy fire, they promoted me to the Rangers. They said they needed men like me. My first successful mission got me a higher promotion." He sighed. "I don't like the responsibility, being a Captain entails a lot of hard work. People hate you because it's a rank earned by years of service, not abilities."

"I don't hate you." Videl whispered absently as she laid her head against his chest. "Why did they give you extra time? I talked to the military wives in town, the club, and they said most men get fourteen days, exactly."

"Because I wasn't just here for you; they sent me back for a mission. You were just an added bonus, if you will. Seeing you again was all I cared about, though." He kissed her hand, smiling softly. "When I heard about Goku, I was shocked. I wanted to come home as soon as possible. Goten had written to me and told me that he felt Goku would be born early. I switched slots with Harvard, throwing off the whole mission; but I didn't care. I would be with you again." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded letter, handing it to her.

_Gohan,_

_I've been keeping an eye on Vi like you had asked me to. She's doing alright, but she seems to be overdoing it a little lately. Goku seems fine, I haven't gotten any spikes from either of them. It seems like she's getting more depressed every day you're gone, though. One day she'll be happy, over the moon because of Goku, and then she'll remember you're not going to be here in time, and it all falls apart. She's trying really hard to be a mother and a wife, but it seems to me like she's acting more like a widow than anything. You said you would be home soon, right? I think Goku may be making an appearance early. She's pretty stressed, and added to that the fact that she misses you, Goku may be a few weeks early. I'll keep an eye on her, update you next weekend._

_Always,_

_Son Goten_

Videl folded the letter back up and looked at her husband with teary eyes. "All those nights I thought he was just there because he wanted to be…were because you asked him to be there?"

"Videl, someone had to look out for you. Different people told me different things. I was being told you were hurting yourself, I was told you weren't eating, I was told that you were trying to kill the baby…I didn't know what to do or who to trust. That's why I asked Goten to watch you; I knew he would tell me the truth." Gohan rubbed her arms softly, hugging her close. "I didn't want to come home and find you dead."

"An appealing thought," she growled as she pulled away from him. "Why didn't you tell me that a sixteen year old was babysitting me?"

"Because, you needed someone to watch you while I was gone. Videl, don't think he didn't care. If he didn't care, he wouldn't have done it. He did care; he loves you almost as much as I do."

She fell quiet again, listening to people milling about in the rooms nearby. She could hear Goku's crying again, wondering absently if it was because he heard his father's voice. She didn't blame him, she got excited when she heard him, but it felt like he didn't want her. "I need to go check on Goku…are you going to go with me?"

"Probably." Gohan smiled softly and bit back his urge to scream that he was in love with one of the most understanding women in the world. He watched her climb to her feet, a bit unsteadily, and then falls back down. "Vi? What's wrong?"

"Just dizzy." She smiled a little, offering her hand out to him. When he hoisted her to her feet, she wavered again, landing against him. "Truth? I haven't eaten yet today. Is that bad?"

"Videl, it's almost seven! How could you not have-forget it." He dragged her along into the kitchen, sitting her down in a chair so he could make her something to eat. "You have to stop doing this. It's not good for you. You'll get sick." He could hear Goku crying in Chichi's arms, but didn't reach for him. Instead he let Chichi place the boy into Videl's arms, where he belonged.

Goku immediately calmed when he felt his mother's warm embrace around his little body. Videl smiled down at him, offering her finger for him to play with. She had never seen him so quiet; maybe it was because he finally got his parents to make up. Maybe he had changed a lot of lives that day, in that moment. She kissed his forehead, and then looked up at her husband as he moved around the kitchen. Gohan wasn't meant for war, true, he had been trained for such situations, but human wars were much different than Saiyan wars. Saiyan's had to deal with aliens that had superpowers and strength in the billions. This was much different, Gohan had to choose who he felt should live and die. It was killing him, she could tell. Often, he would fall silent into an eerie chasm of emotions when someone asked about the war.

It seemed that only three things could pull Gohan from his depression; Videl, Goku, and Pan. Pan wasn't available at the moment, since she was still at Goten's, and Goku was asleep. She sighed and brushed at Goku's stray strand of hair on his forehead. "Calm down, mommy's right here." He squirmed, trying to get away from her. She wouldn't put him down; she couldn't let him go at that moment. "Stay still, you're making it hard for me to feed you!"

Gohan placed a warm bottle of milk on the table in front of her, smiling softly. "Try that. He probably doesn't like the natural kind; mom says I didn't like it either."

Videl nodded, taking the sacrificial bottle and using the nipple to try and force Goku's mouth open. When he took the offered bottle, she made sure it rested in the right spot on his tongue, and held it in place for him to drink. Videl smiled at her husband, and then went back to watching Goku. "Thanks. I hadn't thought of that. It's been a long day."

"For all of us," Gohan whispered, hearing the oven ding. Chichi burst into the kitchen in a flurry of skirts and apron, retrieving the cookies from the oven, and placing them on the counter. She smiled at the children and grandchild, and then vanished into the oblivion that was the living room. Gohan reached over and stole a cookie, hearing a cough from the doorway. He placed the cookie back onto the tray and frowned. "Alright, no cookie's for Gohan."

Videl held back her laughter at her husband's sudden childishness. She smiled at Goku while he sipped from his bottle, glad to see him eating for once. "He does look like you," Videl murmured absently. "Only he has my blue eyes."

"I wouldn't want anyone to look like me, that's a sin in of itself." He offered his wife a cookie, but sighed when he noticed she had no hands to eat it with. Breaking a piece off, he held it out to her, and like a puppy, she accepted it. "Besides, I'm one ugly some-bitch, so that poor kid's going to be made fun of a lot."

"You're amazing," Videl answered, rocking a bit as Goku drank from his bottle. "You always know when I need a laugh, when I need a friend, when I need my husband…you're always serious when a situation calls for it…everyone loves you." She kissed his forehead. "You're just a regular old super hero, aren't you?"

"I'm only super to little kids." He smiled brightly when he heard the giggles of his little girl. He hadn't seen Pan all day, so his excitement grew each time he heard her giggles get closer. It reminded him of the theme song from _Jaws_ every time that girl was nearby. "Speaking of little kids," He swept Pan up into his arms, tickling her sides as he did so. She erupted in a fit of laughter, kicking her feet out. "I rest my case."

"Papa!" Pan writhed to get down, but he didn't let go. "Papa, look!"

After he put her down finally, she grabbed a paper from her pocket and handed it to him. It was a handmade Christmas card that she'd put time into. Opening it up, he nearly began to cry at the words. Pan hadn't written them, Goten or Valise did, but the meaning was the same; _Daddy, I love you and miss you. Come home for mommy, Goku, and I. We need you more._

"The superhero strikes again," Videl grinned, placing Goku's empty bottle on the table as she moved the child over her shoulder. She pats on his back gently until he exploded into a burp.

Chuckling, Goten looked at his nephew with a bright smile. "It makes an uncle proud to see a boy burp like that. Still working on the debutant; she's a little more difficult than he is." Val peered over Goten's shoulder, watching Videl cradle her son. She was so maternal. Maybe she could learn from Videl.

"Gohan, I'm going to go change him. Can you wash out the bottle for me so I don't have to worry about doing it later?" She asked curiously, standing to her feet. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Gohan nodded and reached over the counter to snatch up the bottle. Unscrewing the lid and pushing the bits and pieces out, he stuck them into the sink under hot water. Turning on his heel quickly, he smacked his hands on the table and stared at his brother. "You're doing what now?"

"How did you know?" Goten shrieked, almost girlishly, when his brother asked him the imposing question.

"Valise said it. She said that she could learn from Videl. Learn what from Videl?" Gohan asked, watching the girl shrink away from the yelling. Pan stood behind Goten, afraid of her dad.

"I…" Valise didn't know what to say, she quietly peered from behind Goten's shoulder. Gohan meant business, she didn't blame him. It was hard to not get upset with a situation like this. "I'm pregnant."

"Is it yours?" Gohan asked, glaring at his brother. Goten swore if he glared any harder, he'd explode into flames. Goten shook his head, it wasn't his, he knew for a fact it wasn't. Gohan turned back on Valise. "Whose is it?"

"I…don't know." She trembled a bit; Goten put his hand on her shoulder gently. Moving his hand down, he took her hand and growled at his brother. "I don't know who the baby belongs to. I was…raped not too long ago…but I don't know who did it."

Pan had left; she didn't want to hear any more of it from her father. Running into the sanctuary of the nursery, Pan tugged on her mother's shirt. "Mama! Papa's fighting!" Videl looked up, placing Goku into the crib as she raced down the steps in time to see her husband, pinning his only sibling to the wall by his neck.

Videl blinked, wondering if they were just playing, but Valise's crying stopped her in her tracks. "Valise? What happened?" Valise shrank away when Videl tried to touch her. "What did he do?"

"He didn't do anything. It was all my fault." Valise trembled, her breathing in short rasps. Videl sat on her knees beside the younger girl, wrapping her in her arms. "I did it, I provoked him."

"What do you mean?" Videl didn't know what else to say, she could hear Gohan shouting in the background, telling Goten how stupid and foolish he was. She didn't know why or how they were fighting. Instead, she focused on Valise.

Standing to her feet, Valise stared at the two brothers, shaking uncontrollably. "Stop it." Her words weren't loud enough to make a difference, but both of them hesitated for a split second. "The baby isn't Goten's!"

Gohan paused, turning to Valise. Videl wasn't going to have another fight, stepping between them, she stared at her husband. "When I was raped, what did you do?" Videl asked, holding a hand out to stop him at arm's length. He didn't answer. "What did you do?"

"I let Goten explain the situation at length before I jumped to conclusions." The hiss of an answer came from Gohan. He looked at his brother, his eyes a shocking shade of onyx. "Why?"

"If she says it isn't his baby, you need to trust and understand that it isn't his baby." Videl stood toe to toe with her husband, growling equally as loud. "And you need to give him the benefit of the doubt. Valise has yet to lie to us, so you need to trust her. Besides, your brother swore to you that they weren't doing anything. Goten never lies to you, remember?" She held out the folded and frayed letter.

"If I find out they're lying to me, I'm going to kill them." Gohan whispered inaudibly at his wife. "I'll make sure he never sees the light of day again."

"Will you?" Videl asked, hesitantly. She hated dealing in ultimatums, but if it came down to it, and it was the only thing that could calm him down, she would do it. "Go ahead; kill him. Land yourself in jail. Then where would we be? You'll never see your kids again…all because you wanted to prove a point."

"I already learned my lesson," Goten murmured beside his fiancé. "I know what it's like to grow up like Pan did. Trust me, I saw what it did to you…I won't make that same mistake."

"Then you'll do the wise thing, and leave her." Goten wrapped his arms around Valise, holding her close. He didn't care; he didn't want to hear his brother's words. "She doesn't need you ruining her life."

"No, what she doesn't need is you giving her a problem." Videl hissed at him, dragging him away from the teenagers. "What she doesn't need is you threatening him. Don't you see? The roles are the same; she's me, and he's you. They're living our life…and you," She got quiet, her voice a mere octave above a whisper. "You're your father."

* * *

All done this chapter. Sorry about the long wait…had to do a research paper and I lost my inspiration half way through this chapter. I hope I tied up a few of the loopholes anyway. Also, I want to thank Becky (AKA Gibbs) for the flashback scenario! ILY Becky!


	13. Dancing with Defeat

For those wondering why I'm still updating this; it's more for my sake than for the viewers. I lost most, if not all, of my viewers when I stopped updating for like, what, 5 months? So now it's just for the few who did want to see it to the end, and the few who still care. As well as myself, because if I don't see this through, I'll probably kill myself. (Seriously) Also, you might notice that this is probably the only chapter of this story that _doesn't _have a song name...that's because I couldn't find one fitting to the situation.

**Soldier's Creed**

_Dancing with Defeat_

"_I'll be the voice that carries you..."_

Standing to her feet, Valise stared at the two brothers, shaking uncontrollably. "Stop it." Her words weren't loud enough to make a difference, but both of them hesitated for a split second. "The baby isn't Goten's!"

Gohan paused, turning to Valise. Videl wasn't going to have another fight, stepping between them, she stared at her husband. "When I was raped, what did you do?" Videl asked, holding a hand out to stop him at arm's length. He didn't answer. "What did you do?"

"I let Goten explain the situation at length before I jumped to conclusions." The hiss of an answer came from Gohan. He looked at his brother, his eyes a shocking shade of onyx. "Why?"

"If she says it isn't his baby, you need to trust and understand that it isn't his baby." Videl stood toe to toe with her husband, growling equally as loud. "And you need to give him the benefit of the doubt. Valise has yet to lie to us, so you need to trust her. Besides, your brother swore to you that they weren't doing anything. Goten never lies to you, remember?" She held out the folded and frayed letter.

"If I find out they're lying to me, I'm going to kill them." Gohan whispered inaudibly at his wife. "I'll make sure he never sees the light of day again."

"Will you?" Videl asked, hesitantly. She hated dealing in ultimatums, but if it came down to it, and it was the only thing that could calm him down, she would do it. "Go ahead; kill him. Land yourself in jail. Then where would we be? You'll never see your kids again…all because you wanted to prove a point."

"I already learned my lesson," Goten murmured beside his fiance. "I know what it's like to grow up like Pan did. Trust me, I saw what it did to you…I won't make that same mistake."

"Then you'll do the wise thing, and leave her." Goten wrapped his arms around Valise, holding her close. He didn't care; he didn't want to hear his brother's words. "She doesn't need you ruining her life."

"No, what she doesn't need is you giving her a problem." Videl hissed at him, dragging him away from the teenagers. "What she doesn't need is you threatening him. Don't you see? The roles are the same; she's me, and he's you. They're living our life…and you," She got quiet, her voice a mere octave above a whisper. "You're your father."

* * *

"Gohan, calm down. It's not the end of the world," Videl whispered quietly, standing beside her husband. She couldn't understand why he was upset about this situation, Goten was a great kid, and if Valise wanted to keep the child, who were they to say she couldn't? Goten could handle it, he was amazing with Pan. "Please, don't cause any more damage, they can't handle this right now."

"Please, Mr. Son..." Valise had switched to calling him by his proper name, she was afraid she'd lost his respect in her last revelation. Maybe things would change, maybe he did hate her. What if she was marrying his brother, and he would hate her for the rest of her life? The previously calm teenager burst into tears again. "I didn't do it on purpose. It happened after school."

"After school?" Gohan calmed slightly, hearing the young girls' words. How could he have been so blind? Videl was right, it is a repeat of their life. Only Goten has the chance to fix the mistakes that Gohan had made. "Valise..."

"Why don't you sit at the table, Valise?" Videl ushered the fragile girl over to a chair, helping her to sit down. "It's alright, he's calm now." Videl knew her husband could get angry, but this was probably the worst thing he'd ever gotten angry over. And now, now he'd damaged poor Valise's psyche, as well as her faith in him. She'd probably never trust him again.

"Thank you, Mrs. Son." Valise nodded, shying away slightly when Gohan sat across from her. Intervention? It sure seemed like it. Goten sat beside her, taking her hand softly into his, rubbing her palms. "Yes, after school."

"Before or after I got back?" He asked absently.

"Before...just before, actually. A week or so into November." Valise stared up at Goten, pleading for him to find the words for her. When he didn't offer any help, she closed her eyes and looked at her professor again. "It was terrible."

"Tell me about it." He whispered quietly, listening to her story. He had to know; he loved Valise as if she were one of his own, so he had to know what happened. He had to make himself aware of it. Yelling wouldn't help, as Videl had pointed out. "Please, tell me what you feel like telling me."

"It was a Thursday," She began explaining, brushing her brown locks behind her ears. "I had practice for the debate club. No one told me practice was canceled because of the snow. I went to the room like I normally would, set up my books, and waited for Lucas and Gabrielle to get there. When neither of them showed up, I began to get worried. I wasn't the only student left at the school, Armand was in the lockers, and Serena was in the library, but one student was lingering in your room."

"My room?" He didn't feel any rage at the comment, more a sense of wonder. What could someone be doing in his room? Especially without him there!

"Nathan...he was looking for your records, transcripts and such...said he would change them for us, give us better grades. I imagine Nathan was failing your class." Valise stared at the table in front of her, watching Gohan fiddle with his glasses impatiently. "Nathan told me that if I said anything to you, he would hurt me. So I told Goten...because he was the next best person I could think of." To emphasize her point, she looked up at him and nodded.

"I assume that he overheard you talking?" Gohan interjected, placing his glasses on the table, watching his brothers somber nod.

"Yes," Valise answered, hoping the details weren't so dark in her mind. "I was on my way home, November fourth, I believe it was...I counted back the days, it's the only logical answer. When I was walking home, he found me in the alley between the school and the bookstore on third." She noticed him tense slightly, wondering if maybe he'd already known she was going to say that.

Valise was grateful when Videl placed a cup of tea in front of her, and coffee before Gohan. She hadn't realized they'd talked that long already. Videl then nestled into a seat next to Gohan, laying her hand on top of his, moving her finger across his wedding rings absently. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before he spoke again. "That's where Goten found Videl..." He remembered that night clearly, knowing that his wife was correct in saying the teens were mirroring their lives. "Keep going..."

"I didn't think it would be so hard to get away. Goten taught me some self defense, but I'm not nearly as strong as him. I wound up being pulled down by two boys...one of them used chloroform..."

"...and I can also pretty much assume _that _was taken from my lab as well." He clenched his hand slightly, causing Videl to flinch from the sudden pressure. When he felt her move, he released his grip and smiled to her. "Sorry, Vi."

"I don't remember what happened, the details. I remember waking up in some abandon building, far from where I'd seen in the town. I don't even know where it was, what town or anything. My clothes had been stolen, my legs were badly cut up from where ropes had been tied to them...my wrists..." She let go of Goten's hand for a moment, showing Gohan her wrists. "...they cut them up, to make it look like I was suicidal. Part of it was worse because they had used rope after they cut them." She trembled, but the tears stayed. "A man found me walking alone on the street...I had no shame, I wound up using a tiny blanket that was left in the building. He took me to the hospital, said he was a doctor...Kevin was his name."

"Gohan, do you think you could find that man? He was very helpful getting her home. Especially since she didn't have a clue where she was..." Goten asked, staring down at Valise's head.

"Probably, but it would take time. Valise...do you remember the students who did it?" The young girl shook her head no, prompting his anger to rise slightly again. How could he help if she didn't remember? Taking a sip of his coffee, he watched her stir her tea absently. "I'm sorry for not believing you..."

"You didn't have to believe me...I can understand why you jumped to such a hefty conclusion...but might I ask what you meant earlier, Mrs. Son?" Valise asked, smiling a little bit in the elder's direction.

"Hmm? Oh, what about earlier? Sorry, I say a lot of things I don't always remember."

"You said _When I was raped, what did you do?_...what did you mean? Pan isn't his daughter?" Valise questioned, noticing that the woman just began to snicker softly.

"No, Pan is all Gohan's daughter. It's almost surprising how identical the two are in nature. No, what I had mentioned was actually a situation similar to yours. I was twenty one when it happened, on my way home from school. I had to stay late for an assignment, so I walked home. In retrospect, it wasn't such a good idea, but the thought never occurred to me. It was a near miss, that night. If Goten hadn't heard me scream, I would have been..." She didn't finish her thought, she knew the girl understood. "Pan was actually conceived in January, the incident happened long after I had been pregnant. I believe I was four months when that happened."

"And neither of us were even aware of that, which is the funny thing about the whole situation. Even though Videl was pregnant, I was totally unaware." Gohan murmured over his coffee cup.

"I thought you could sense things like that?" Valise asked absently. "Goten said you could."

Gohan explained, only for better understanding of the situation. "Only if we're looking for it. The thought hadn't even occurred to me when I realized it. In fact, I thought she was lying when she told her dad she was pregnant. See, Hurcule wouldn't let us live together, so when her dad asked me if she was pregnant, I said no and she said yes. I thought for sure it was a lie, but I suppose I was wrong. We got married a month or so later...she dropped out of school. It was chaotic. Her dad blamed me for all the failures she committed, and for a while, he wouldn't even admit that Pan was his grandchild."

"But he eventually came around, right? I mean, he loves Pan to death, so he had to have come around!" Valise asked skeptically.

"Oh yeah, he came around. When he saw Pan for the first time, he realized just how stupid he'd been by banishing Videl from his house. She is quite the cutie. Um, Pan, I mean. Valise, what I'm trying to say is that if you love Goten, and you love this baby, make it work. Don't do it because of the child, do it because you love each other. Years from now, you'll look back on this and remember what happened, and it won't hurt so much to think about. You'll look into your child's eyes and remember why you do what you do, and how every moment led you to that precise result. And then things will make sense." Gohan knew she understood because her hands moved under the table, and her eyes were downcast.

"Five of thirteen," Valise spoke quietly, her voice not much louder than a mouse skittering on the floor.

"Five out of thirteen? What do you mean?" Goten asked confused. "Pregnancy is nine months, and I know we're not normal, but even we carry for nine months."

"No, no...the time...that Gohan has to be overseas. He's been there five months. So he has eight more to go. Which means the baby will be a month old when he comes home for good." Valise smiled at Gohan when she spoke the words 'for good', because she knew as long as he was around, she had someone she could trust.

Gohan did the math in his head, looking at the table as he did it. "That's right, eight more long, excruciating months away from my Vi...and my little girl..." He paused, closing his eyes softly. "And my little boy." He hadn't wanted to be this way, Goku was going to be his life, but taking care of him was proving to be the issue. How could he care for him if he's so far away? Goku would be teething by the time he came home, probably even walking! Well, that might be a bit of a stretch, but anything was possible.

Valise looked at Goten curiously, her brown eyes trying to find a reason that wasn't there. "Why did you get sent home?"

"There was an explosion at Fort Minor," he explained simply. "Just as Gohan was being sent out, actually. I was pretty badly hurt, so they sent me home...I couldn't do a whole lot over there anyway."

"All of us out there at Rhymer get out-processed through the same base, so we figured we'd meet up eventually over there. But I didn't expect to overlook him completely." Gohan finished for his brother, looking over at his wife, sleeping quietly on his arm. She had a long day wrangling children and diffusing arguments. She deserved the sleep. "I'm going to take her to bed, are you two staying the night? I don't mind if you sleep in the same bed, she's already pregnant...nothing can happen."

"Even still, I'll sleep on the couch, Valise can have the spare bed." Goten offered, watching his brother hoist his wife into his arms without much of a problem. "Tomorrow is Christmas, you know. So make sure you're ready to be woken up early."

"Don't remind me. I love the holidays, but I _hate _getting up earlier than I need to." Gohan stared down at his wife, smiling softly to the other two. "Goten," He began when he noticed Valise had left the room. "If you notice that Valise is getting a little depressed, bring her over here. Videl can talk to her. Things are going to get a lot harder for her, she's going to need a friend. Don't hesitate."

"I won't."

* * *

Wailing echoed down the halls. It wasn't like Pan's usually was, more of a slightly more high pitched whine. It certainly was a sound that Gohan didn't recognize. Rolling onto his side, he checked the clock to see the time; Two Thirty Seven. How could a child be up this early in the morning? Pushing himself up on his elbows, he noticed Videl was still sleeping soundly beside him. Figuring he should let her sleep, he slipped on a shirt and headed down the hall to the nursery.

"Goku," he quietly sang, staring at the small bundle in the crib. He was only a few weeks old and already showing signs of being like his namesake. His eyes were a dark emerald green, not like Videl's bright, clear blue. His hair was starting to grow in unruly, much like his father's, and he was already perfecting that famous Son grin. "Goku, why are you awake? Are you excited for what this morning will bring, is that it?" It dawned on him; this would be Goku's first Christmas, and he wasn't ready for it. What was he going to do?

Reaching into the crib, he gently lifted the wailing child into his arms, rocking him back and forth in a silent rhythm. "We'll get you all dressed up, and you can be in a picture with mommy and your sister, because I want a picture of you to take with me when I go far away." Even he couldn't bring himself to say _war_. There were casualties, hundreds and thousands, and he still couldn't say the word. "Are you hungry?"

Gohan took the child to the kitchen, deciding on making him a bottle. It was much too early to wake Videl, and he hadn't been accepting the natural milk anyway, so he figured there was no harm in mixing it from a powder. And it wasn't as if he could hurt him, it never hurt Pan, and she turned out just fine. Though her appetite for meat was a little questionable. When the bottle was finished, he plucked it from the boiling water and tested it on his wrist. When he had verified it was lukewarm, he went to feed Goku.

"Can I do it?" Valise asked, standing in the doorway. She looked different in the blue nightgown that Videl had lent her. She looked a lot more mature. He noticed her eyes were dull now that her secret was out, but she was still the same old girl he'd always known. On further inspection, Gohan noticed where she held her hand. She wasn't asking because she felt it was a good idea, she was asking because she wanted to learn.

"You're keeping it, aren't you?" Gohan asked, shuffling the infant to her arms gently. He handed her the bottle, instructing her to press it firmly on his tongue. "Babies don't know how to chew, so they use their tongues. If you get it right there in the middle of his tongue, he'll take it without any protesting."

The child began to wail, but it didn't deter her from trying. Shifting the bottle slightly, she tried again. This time he didn't cry, he just suckled happily on the offered bottle. "Yes," Came the reply of the woman leaning on the counter. "I'm keeping him."

"Good for you," Gohan smiled, he knew how hard of a decision it was to make, and Goten had no true right to say no. It was her body, but it wasn't his child, either. Even if he was the boyfriend, fiance, husband, it didn't give him any right to say she couldn't keep him. He watched her feeding Goku, smiling a little more when he heard her next question.

"Why do you ask?"

His green eyes gazed at the floor tiles for a long time, almost an absurd amount of time before he looked back at her again. "When Videl told me she was pregnant with Pan, several thoughts flashed into my mind. _What am I going to do? I can't raise a kid. Where do I go? What money do I use? This can't be happening! Is she lying to me? How do I know it's mine?_ When she told me she was keeping her, I realized at that instant that it was my baby. Videl, even though she may be a mother, would never keep the child of someone who raped her. The other questions would come later, but I knew in that instant, she was mine." He stared at the ground, his thoughts bringing way to tears that he couldn't bring himself to shed. "When Videl was six months along, she started to get really horrible pains. She started spotting, and we weren't sure what to do. It was our first child, we didn't know what we were doing. I didn't even know what to do – was I supposed to call an ambulance? I broke down and started crying, she was hurting so badly. Finally I asked my mom to tell me what to do, we were just kids, we didn't know...When I was taking Videl to the hospital, she was crying, saying she didn't want to lose the baby..."

"You don't have to keep going, I can figure it out." Valise had shifted to a chair at some point in the conversation. The story was shocking, it was a part of her professor she'd never seen before. He was always so stern at school, she could only imagine what he was like at work.

He took a deep breath and smiled shyly. "When we got to the hospital, they told us that she was going into labor prematurely. They could either let her go, or give her a shot to ease the contractions. I'm sure you know which we chose. I stayed with her the whole night, she told me that she was terrified...everything bad had happened at that instant in her life; finding out she was going to be a mother was the only light she had. Then she told me that being with me, being able to have my child...that was even more of a blessing." He was quiet again, contemplating the story over and over again, reliving that moment in time. "But on the way to the hospital, one thought occurred to me and just wouldn't let go: _Please don't let my baby die..._I felt selfish saying that, I knew there was a complication, it could have harmed Videl as well, but I wasn't worried about that. I wanted my little girl to make it."

"But she did, and now she's healthy and well, and you've got a little boy, too. They're both going to be strong and tough, and if Pan made it that early, she can make it through anything. Trust me on that." Valise looked down at little Goku, noticing the bottle was half empty. Gohan jumped to take care of it, but she put the bottle down and shifted the infant over her palm and wrist. "Am I doing it right?"

"Yes, just be gentile, he's really small." Gohan coached, leaning on the table so he could watch her. "If he cries, you're probably hitting him too hard."

The girl nodded and began to pat the lower part of the child's back softly. "I remember you telling Goten not to make the same mistakes as you...do you really think of Pan as a mistake?"

"Never." Gohan admitted, sighing quietly. "Pan was unplanned, that may be true, but she wasn't a mistake, and I was wrong in saying she was. She was my little blessing."

"Blessing?" Valise inquired, moving the infant to her other hand.

"Yes; Videl was going to leave me. I was having trouble with work and school, and it was causing too many problems with the relationship. Things were going from worse to worse, and she wasn't sure if I would be able to handle marriage. When she found out about Pan, both of our attitudes changed. I worried more about Videl than I did about school. Not my brightest move, I admit, but I learned fast." He smiled a bright smile, then chuckled. "But no matter how immature I thought Goten was, he's taking responsibility for a child that isn't his. That takes maturity, but moreover, it takes a special kind of love."

Valise looked at the child in her arms, wondering if that's what hers would look like. He burped finally, spitting some of the liquid back onto her arm. Flinching slightly, she looked up apologetically at Gohan. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do it, I didn't hurt him did I?"

Laughing a little, Gohan picked up the infant from her arms, handing her a dish towel. "No. Babies are notorious for that. Usually at that point, I wouldn't bother trying to feed him any more." He stared at his son, shaking his head slowly. "You've got quite the appetite, Goku. I don't know what we're going to do with you. Between you, me, and your sister, we're going to eat your mother out of house and home!"

"It's a wonderful thing that you get paid each month," Videl murmured from behind her husband, kissing his cheek, then kissing Goku's forehead. "Why are you up so early?"

"The youngster's were restless," he replied, watching his wife as she danced around the kitchen. "May I ask why you're awake?"

"Because Pan had a nightmare and daddy wasn't there to fend off the demon under her bed. I thought you checked under the bed?" Videl asked, barely registering Valise in the corner.

"I did, but I guess I didn't check hard enough. Is she asleep?"

"Up in our bed. I'll go check on her in a bit, but for now I need to feed--" Blinking when it finally occurred to her that Goku was in her husband's arms, she shook her head and put the empty bottle away. "What am I doing, you already fed him. And you're covered in baby vomit."

"Sorry, I was coaching Valise on a life lesson; she asked how to feed a baby." Valise nodded when Videl looked at her questioningly. "She learned a lot tonight, and I think these are lessons she'll hold onto when she has her baby."

"I don't really...want to think about my baby right now," the words were silent, spoken almost as if she were trying not to think about it. It was pretty evident that she was trying to hide it, but hiding it only worked for so long. In the next instant, the girl was up and out of the room.

"She'll be alright, right?" Gohan asked.

"Yes, she just needs time to cope with it. Her body is going to take the longest to adapt to the change. Gohan, can you hand me that bottle, thank you." He handed her the bottle, kissing her forehead. "Go put little G to bed, so we can go back to bed. And don't forget to check on the princess in suit twelve."

"Yes, milady!" Gohan smirked and kissed her forehead as he walked passed her. "I'll be waiting for you, by the way. We didn't get to finish our discussion."

"Right, right. We'll get to it right away. Until then, you get upstairs!"

* * *

Morning began to shine the first light through the window, causing the young girl in the middle of the bed to wake first. Yawning widely, she looked at both her parents before smiling brightly. It was Christmas, even she knew that. Her parents had prepared her for this moment for months. Even though today was a wonderful day, it dawned on her that her father would be leaving in a few weeks. She turned to her mother first, knowing she needed her sleep more than he did.

"Papa?" She asked quietly, tugging on his hand. "Papa, are you awake?" Pan's blue eyes scanned the room a bit, looking for something loud that would wake him. Her father's hearing was a lot more keen than Videl's, so she knew he heard her. "Papa?"

"Pan-Chan," He murmured quietly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He yawned lightly and smiled to his daughter. "I'm awake, are you excited because today is Christmas?"

Pan smiled brightly and climbed onto his chest, staring into his green eyes. "Papa, are you awake?" She asked again, not knowing what to say in response to his question. His arms slithered around her small body and began to tickle her. Pan wailed with excitement, kicking and laughing. "Papa!"

"Okay, I'll stop." He paused for a few moments, then began tickling her ribs again. Three years old and already she was able to hold him off. It was amazing how well she was at doing that. "Let's go get ready for Grandma, and Grandpa." He slipped over the side of the bed, rubbing a hand through his hair. Quietly kissing Videl's forehead, he took Pan into his arms and hoisted her from the bed.

"Grampa?" She inquired childishly, trudging along beside her father. "Grampa, grampa, grampa!"

"Grandpa Goku _and _Grandpa Hurcule will be here today." Gohan announced happily. The guest list consisted of Videl, Pan, Goku, Goku Senior, Hurcule, Chichi, and Hurcule's girlfriend Missi. Goten and Valise were already setting up cookies in the living room for when people began to arrive. He could hear them clomping around downstairs. "Lets check on your brother, alright? He's going to help us set up today."

Pan nodded excitedly, noticing her father stop in the hallway. He rested his hand on the door to the nursery, then pushed it open a bit to peek in. Fear clutched at his heart when he noticed the child wasn't there. Was he just dreaming, had Goku never existed? He turned to Pan and raised a brow. Keep calm, he told himself, no need to scare Pan. "Papa?"

He asked her quietly, so if Videl was awake, he wouldn't frighten her. "Pan, how long have you been awake?" She held up her hand and counted on ten fingers, signifying ten minutes. The fear began to worsen, everything was starting to make him panic more. "Has your brother cried at all this morning?"

She nodded slowly, frowning at his question. "Uh huh."

At least they knew he was still there, that was good. The panic was still on his mind though, where had he gone? Had he fallen out of the crib? Gohan went into the room and inspected the crib; there were no holes or broken bars, so where did the child go? Videl was still asleep, there was no way Videl had anything to do with this. "Goten!"

Goten raced into the hallway when his brother shouted for him, wondering what had happened. "Is Pan okay?" Goku slept peacefully in his arms, his little hand clasping onto his shirt sleeve.

When he saw his son, realization dawned on him. Of course, there were other people in the house, and Videl trusted Goten with Pan, logically she'd trust him with Goku, too. "Sorry, I was worried about something."

"Were you afraid someone had taken Goku?" Valise asked, hearing Pan talking to a doll next to her father's feet.

"It crossed my mind," Gohan responded, quietly observing his brother. "Please, don't do that again. I was scared...I thought he fell or something. I mean, fear got the better of my judgment. I should clarify, I know for sure he won't be able to go anywhere, he can't crawl yet...but for some reason my fear hindered me from even knowing that."

"It's alright, I wouldn't mind if you had let it go. But he's alright, and he's sleeping for now. Valise has been up with him all night." Valise waved absently from beside Goten, smiling softly when her professor looked at her. "She's been sick all night, so she figured it would be best to stay up with him."

He began the slow trek down the steps, holding Pan's hand as he did so. She scaled each step one by one, her feet slow to move. Gohan would wait at the top of the step, waiting for her to climb down. As she made her slow descent down the steps, she stopped and waited eagerly for her father to join her at the bottom. "Oh! I didn't know you were waiting for me, I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Gohan smirked, bringing his daughter up into his arms. Pan smiled as well, grabbing for his glasses. They were far to big for her, she looked absurd wearing them. "They make you look smart. Don't tell mommy, but that's why I wear them."

Goten smiled to the family before looking back over at Valise. The brunette was quiet, staring at the two as they had their moment. She didn't feel she had the right to interrupt them, so she let them go. Finally, when Pan was done giggling, Valise raised her hand slightly. "Gohan...would it be alright if I stay here...while you're over in the sandbox?"

"Oh wow, that's more up to Videl than it is to me. I don't know, Valise. I'm sure she wouldn't mind, but you may want to ask her anyway." Gohan set Pan down again, reaching his arms out for Goku. The little boy hadn't cried once while they shifted him around. Gohan smiled down at his son, shaking his head slightly. "I can't believe I got a son, I mean...I always assumed I'd be stuck with all girls. That would have been my luck, considering mom got all boys." He smiled and kissed Goku's forehead. "But I got little Goku, and now I don't need anything else."

"Except to come home in one piece," Videl responded, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind. Laying her head gently on his shoulder, she blinked and traced a scar along his neck. "Gohan, where did this come from?"

His response was simple, almost knowing. "Tactical disadvantage," As the moments passed in silence, Gohan cradled his son, staring at the two teenagers in front of him. "Oh! Right! I was supposed to give Goku to you, and then set up for when mom and dad get here."

"Wait...dad's coming?" Skeptically, Goten finally asked his brother. "When did dad come back?"

"My dad's going to be here too," Videl continued, smiling at her brother in law. "We didn't want to do a huge family gathering with people who weren't actually family – that's tomorrow. Today it's just us...all of us." Videl looked to Valise and nodded. "You're family, too. You're going to be part of our family, so you have every right to be here."

Valise smiled brightly. "Really? And...what about what I had asked?"

"You may stay here, but only if you don't mind helping me take care of the two whelps." The older woman kissed her husband's cheek, then turned on her heel and gathered up some things on the floor. The house was usually immaculate, except when Pan was playing with her dolls. It struck her as a little odd that Pan hadn't been playing with her giraffe lately. "Pan, where's your Giraffe?"

"He got eated by bee." She answered, tugging on her father's sleeve.

"Eaten, Pan. He got Eaten by Bee." Gohan corrected, holding the boy down to her height so she could admire him as he slept.

"Papa, will Goku be like me?"

"Annoying and proud?" Goten stuck his tongue out at Pan so she couldn't guess who said it. "Yeah, that's right. I said you were annoying. Wanna fight about it?" He smirked, tugging her hair gently. "Gohan, you should probably go help Videl get ready for the company."

"Right." Gently shuffling Goku over to Valise, Gohan smiled quickly and ran off, leaving the babysitting in the capable hands of Goten and Valise. It was good training for the two of them. Goten had seen every threat known to man, but he'd never actually faced parenting. This was a new chapter in his life, and Gohan was glad to help him in any way he could. Plus, Goten had been there for Videl when she was having a hard time dealing with Gohan being away, so he could handle it.

* * *

"Gohan, I worry about Valise, this is her first pregnancy, and I don't want her to be alone with her parents. I've met them and they strike me as being obsessive." Videl placed a tray on the counter, listening for Gohan's answer, but nothing came. She turned and noticed he was deep in thought about something. Fearing it was another flashback, she grabbed his hand and held it tight. "Gohan, what are you thinking about?"

"Valise." The quiet murmur echoed in her mind. He stared at the counter, ignoring what was around him for a brief moment before turning to his wife again. "Keep an eye on her, she might get severely depressed soon."

"How do you know?"

"Her personality changed since she's told us. Maybe she was afraid of admitting what was going on?" He looked like he was concentrating, trying to find a true answer to what was being explained.

"But what does one have to do with the other?" Videl inquired, placing her hand on top of his, gently moving her other hand to his cheek, tilting his head toward hers. "Gohan, she'll be fine, I'll watch her. And Goten's here to help me...but we have people coming to visit, and it's Goku's first Christmas...why not make it worth remembering?"

"You're right. We owe it to them." Looking at his wife, he kissed her on the lips, lingering for a moment before taking a tray off the counter. "In answer to your question, Valise grew more distant most likely because she's scared. I'm not sure yet...I think...I think maybe there's something wrong with her."

"I'll keep an eye on her, I promise. But let's get through today first, alright?" She asked, letting go of his hand.

Gohan had a feeling it was only going to get worse for the girl. Videl had to drop out of school, they forced her to, but Valise had the option of staying for the last few months. He didn't want her to do that unless she had to, if she went back to school, she'd be bound to get heckled. Holding the tray firmly in his hands, he exited through the door on the left of the kitchen, placing it down on the table. Gohan wasn't trying to pay attention to what Goten and Valise were doing, it just happened that way.

Valise sat cross legged on the floor, little Goku laying in her lap contentedly. He was watching his sister waddling across the room, dragging a toy with her. She placed it down in front of Goku, whom tried to reach for it but couldn't. Pan frowned and picked up the toy again, placing it on the child's chest. He began to wail, and even as Gohan jumped to take care of him, Valise calmed him down.

"You'd make a great mother, Val." Goten commented, snatching Pan around the hips and pulling her down into a tickle fight. "You're already great with Goku."

"Not good enough," She admitted sadly, smiling at him and Pan wrestling across from her. Valise shifted Goku so that he was in her arms, resting quietly. His green eyes watched his father, observing his every action. "What are you looking at, Goku?" Following the gaze, Valise spotted Gohan in the doorway, blushing a bit.

"I didn't mean to listen...or even watch...but it's so cute. You and Goten are adorable together, and you're great with the baby." He closed the distance between them, kneeling beside Valise and brushing a knuckle over Goku's cheek. "You should be his honorary caretaker for the day, we're going to need someone to watch him."

When the doorbell rang, Videl jumped to get it. "Chichi!" Smiling brightly, the younger girl embraced her mother in law. "Oh! It's so good to see you!" Chichi wasted no time seeking out her sons. Both of them were laying on the floor, playing with Pan. "Goku!" Videl smiled a lot wider when Goku walked in the door behind Chichi. The older woman was unaware of Goku being home, she had assumed that Videl was talking about the baby.

Chichi saw Goku standing in the doorway and nearly fainted. "Oh my...Goku? _My Goku_?" The woman asked, darting toward the door. "You're alive?" Looking up to see no halo, she smiled widely. "I missed you so much!"

"Merry Christmas, mother." Gohan and Goten chimed, joining the two into a hug. "He's home to stay now."

"Not a moment too late," Goku answered looking between Chichi, Gohan, and Goten. "Aww, I missed you guys, too! Hows my little namesake?" Goku looked at Gohan, waiting for an answer. He didn't get one from him, the answer came from Videl.

"Colic...he doesn't sleep through the night. Can't understand it for the life of me. Seems the only people who can get him to sleep are Gohan and Valise. I wonder if he hates me." Chichi shook her head, taking the younger woman's hand.

"Videl, I wouldn't question it much...Gohan was the same way." For the little while he was living with her, anyway. After he'd been spirited away by Piccolo, things changed drastically. Her little boy became a young man, and her life shattered. "Boys will be boys. And Goten is a _prime _example of that!"

"Goku," Videl began, speaking to her father in law. "Where is my father? Didn't he say he was coming tonight?"

"Well gee, I don't know, Videl. He did say that, didn't he? I doubt he forgot, you are pretty special to him. And he loves Pan beyond words, so I don't think he forgot on purpose. But he is getting old, maybe he did forget."

"I don't think so," Gohan pointed behind Goku. Hurcule was tossing snowballs at a tall blonde woman, one that looked strangely like Lunch. "I think he's having fun...let him go for a while."

* * *

Christmas went without any problems, it seemed everyone got along without arguing. Chichi was excited to have Goku back, and Videl was excited to know that her father was remarrying. One thing seemed to be in a box still; no one else knew about Valise. Valise had decided to tell everyone that the child was Goten's, that way it would spare the embarrassment of admitting she'd be raped.

"Excuse me...everyone?" Goten began, holding Valise around the hips. "I have an announcement for the family..." He turned to Valise and smiled, the girl smiled back. "Valise is having a baby."

"But you're still in school!" Chichi shouted, or...shrieked, growling at her youngest son. "You can't have a baby! You're still a baby yourself! You're so foolish!"

"I never said it was mine!" Goten yelled back, causing Chichi to fall back into her seat. He hadn't specified. "It's not mine. But I'm going to take care of it, as if it was. I love Valise, and I can love this baby as much as she does."

"I back him up," Gohan smiled to his brother with a nod. "Anyone who has a problem with it can go through me."

Videl cradled Goku in her lap, brushing back his unruly hair with her index finger. "I'm with my husband on this one, they're ready to be a family, and Gohan will take care of Val in school. So they can do it."

Pan squirmed around in her father's lap, trying to tug at his stray hair. "Papa, I wanna open my presents now!" She pulled at his hair again, this time causing him to flinch. "Please, Papa?"

"Okay, okay, lets open your presents." He set her on the ground and immediately, like a moth to flame, she ran to the tree and started pulling out boxes. It was a tight year, there were only four boxes under the tree for Pan. She wasn't disappointed, she was rather excited. "Go ahead, open it up." He nodded toward the green one with silver ribbons on it.

Pan ripped the paper off, shredding it every which way. Finally when she got down to the little bit that was left, she ripped open the box and reached in for the item inside. It was a stuffed giraffe to replace the one that had been eaten by Bee. Shrieking with joy, she held her giraffe in her arms, cuddling it as she grabbed another box. This one contained a doll that she'd wanted, and the last two were accessories and a house for the doll. Pan was happily nibbling on her giraffe when she toted a box over to Videl, plopping it in her lap.

"Whats this?" Videl asked, looking over at Gohan. He was the only one whom could have gotten it, there was no way Pan did. "Gohan?"

"Just open it," He smiled a little, waiting for her to pull the paper off. "I promise you'll like it."

She delicately slid the ribbon off, then looked at the box, admiring the beauty of it. Finally, she opened the box, her breath catching in her throat. "Oh my God, Gohan." Inside the box was a delicately carved bracelet made of silver. It had four charms on it, one sapphire, one blue, one pearl, and one diamond...for each of the months they were born in. She ran her finger over the newest one that was added, then Pan's. "Where did you get it?"

"Overseas. They sell them all over the place out there, but to get them specially made costs money. I knew you'd love it, so I got it. I didn't even think about it." Kissing her forehead, he blinked when Pan dropped a heavy box into his lap. "From Goten and Valise..." He read off the card. Shredding the paper, he opened the box and stared in shock. "Cell phones?"

"Two of them." Goten corrected. "With a prepaid card for each side."

"Why?" Gohan asked, looking at his brother questioningly.

"So you can keep in contact with Videl and the kids in a more...modern way. Writing letters is awesome, but Videl complained you never wrote back sometimes. This way you don't have to worry about that. But Vi is also going to need to learn to wait for calls, because if you're on the field you can't bring a cell phone with you."

Videl nodded and reached to her side, retrieving a small trinket box, holding it out to Gohan. "Its not a lot, I couldn't work out the family funds to get you what I really wanted...and with Goku's outrageous hospital bill, I couldn't come up with much on short notice."

Gohan peered into the box, taking out the chain with a cross on it. It was a silver titanium cross, one that wouldn't get ruined if he got it wet. Dangling beside it was his dog tags. It took him a moment to realize that it had everyone's name carved into the back. On the vertical line it read Videl, and Pan and Goku on each side. He stared at it in awe for a long time before looking back to his wife. "Vi..." The necklace dangled in his hand, clinking in the silence of the room. "It's amazing, I'll wear it every day I'm over there."

Pan ran up to Valise and handed her and Goten a box. Each got a separate one from the Gohan and Videl. Gohan took it upon himself to shop for Valise, and Videl got something for Goten. Goten looked at his first. It was a picture frame with their prom picture in it. Valise stared at the box for a long time before looking at Gohan. Her professor knew more about her than Goten ever did, she wondered what he could have gotten her. Opening the lid on the box, she nearly burst into tears. Lifting the chain from it's resting place, the metal clanked in her hand. "Oh my..." She wiped her tears away, staring at Gohan. "It's Goten's dog tags...and a charm...with a rattle."

"When you said you were pregnant last night, I went through everything I could find in our closet for something to put on it. I found a rattle on an old charm necklace that was left behind by a girl Goten dated before, so I felt it was okay to use it. Do you like it?"

"I love it." She whimpered, closing her eyes against the wave of emotions. "Gohan...it's beautiful."

* * *

School started not even two days later. Kids were sporting new clothes, some hand new cars, and Goten had a new fiance. Everyone seemed to be in brighter spirits. Gohan was excited to be back in class after so long, and even brought Goku with him. Pan was starting daycare, so she couldn't go. Goku sat up at his desk in his little bassinet, the bottles beside his carrier. Teachers didn't bring children to school often, but because Goku always slept for Gohan, he didn't think it was a problem.

"Today's class is a little unorthodox, we won't be learning about Chemistry today like usual." Gohan began explaining, looking at the eager faces in the crowd. "We won't even be learning about anything related to Chemistry. It's a new year, so everyone has experiences they want to share, others don't. But I'm going to ask a few of you to tell me what you did over the break."

"We want to hear about what you did," shouted Maria Sulphides. She was nowhere near new to the class, so she had manners, but she was eager to know why their instructor had vanished for so long. "Why did we have to suffer through Mr. Harper? He's a terrible teacher!"

Gohan sat at his desk, making sure Goku was asleep. "Because I got called out to war," Gohan began to explain, his hands trembling as he spoke. He hated talking about the war, especially to children. "Its a terrible place out there – be glad none of you have to go."

"Didn't Goten go?" One boy asked, looking at Valise.

"He did, but he came home. To stay." Gohan couldn't bring himself to admit that he was jealous of his brother. He spoke with hostility and malice when he said he was home to stay. "Any other questions?"

"Whose the kid?"

Gohan smiled a little, looking at the class. "Well, you all got to meet Pan when she was born – rather, the class I had then. But now it's your turn to meet my newest member to the family, Goku."

"As in the famous _Son Goku_?" Asked another student in the crowd.

"My father, yes." Gohan began speaking, never getting to finish that thought.

"So you know martial arts?"

"Yes, but I'm not _teaching _martial arts. I figured since we only have a thirty minute class today, we could get to know some of you – apparently that didn't work as well as I had previously hoped it would.

When class finally let out, Gohan stayed behind to grade papers from the substitute. The sub had taught the children a different way than he did, so everything seemed backwards. Grading it wasn't going to be hard, but it would be time consuming. Not even on the third paper, he heard someone outside the classroom. It was probably just a janitor.

Five minutes later he heard a girl and a boy arguing. The girl's voice was familiar in more ways than one. Panic rising into his throat, Gohan stepped to the door and listened.

"Get the hell off me, Yurimoto!"

"Why should I? You're not going to be able to stop me. You couldn't stop me before." He hissed, sliding his hand under her uniform skirt.

"Stop it, you don't want to do this!"

"The hell I don't." He shoved her into a locker, the thud resounding through the empty hallways. "You're going to go in there, and you're going to steal the midterm for me. And when you do that, I'll consider letting you go."

"Get _off _me!"

"Didn't you listen to me? I said I'd let you go if you got me the midterm! God, women are so dense sometimes! I swear, it's like they don't even listen to a damn thing we say. We don't speak cause we like our voices, just so you know! Now get the fuck in that room, and get the damn paper before I kill you."

Gohan stepped into the hallway the same time Goten did, both of them glaring daggers at the boy with his hand in Valise's skirt. "You wanna get your hand off of her?" Gohan inquired slowly.

"And if I don't? What will you do?"

Goten smiled a creepy smile before walking down the hall. "Do me a favor, read me the name on those dog tags around her neck."

"Goten Son," The boy read, looking to him as shock finally made itself known to him. The boy had never seen fear before, but now he knew what it was. "Are you going to kill me?"

"I might. You see, you got my fiance pregnant," Goten answered, his hands jammed in his pockets. "We can't have that, now can we? Well, Valise decided to keep the baby – and that means, you guessed it, you'll be paying for the child to breathe. You know what happens if you don't? You go to jail, and you get registered as a rapist. Cause that's always fun, isn't it? Get your _bloody paws _off my _fiance!_" Goten shouted, ripping the boy's hands off her leg.

"You can't do this! I'm a student, I'll have you arrested for assault!"

"I would go to jail for her. I would die for her. I would do anything for her. So your threats are empty promises to me. You wanna make a deal, you tell me you'll leave her alone before I kick your ass all the way to Sunday. Don't believe I can do it? My father is Son Goku."

The boy shivered in his boots, watching Gohan fold his arms and watch them fighting in the hallway. "You're a teacher! Do something about this!"

"Nope, sorry. My arm is broken, I can't help you." Gohan stepped back into the room allowing Goten time to mess with the boy's head.

Gathering up papers off his desk, Gohan stared at his son, holding the papers in his arms. "You're a lucky kid, having an uncle like that. He'd die for you, you know. I would too, I don't mind dying for you. Or your mother and sister. You're all my life." Gohan sighed and put the papers into a briefcase. "I have to go back to war soon," He began to explain. "By the time I see you, I'll have missed most of your infancy. Almost a whole year. But you won't forget me, I know you won't. It's impossible to forget me."

"I won't forget you," Valise said, standing in the doorway watching the father and son bond. "I know that for a fact."

"Thanks Valise, I needed that." Gohan murmured, deciding to call it a night. Grabbing the briefcase, he let Valise carry the baby. As he walked out the door, he shut off the lights and locked it behind him. It was going to be a long week before he got back to the sandbox.

* * *

AN: That was excruciating! SIXTEEN pages! Three more than my usual!


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